ASA Stands with AAPI Communities!
The American Society of Acupuncturists (ASA) is deeply saddened by the continued violence against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities in the United States. Our hearts are with the families of those killed during the recent Georgia attack: Hyun Jung Grant, 51; Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33; Paul Andre Michels, 54; Daoyou Feng, 44; Xiaojie Tan, 49; Soon C. Park 74; Suncha Kim, 69; and Yong A. Yue, 63.
We stand in solidarity with the AAPI communities. As early as February 2020, the beginnings of the pandemic, the ASA has promoted the sharing of facts and dispelled the misinformation surrounding Asians and COVID. Throughout our COVID Town Halls and resources, we repeated this sentiment against anti-Asian racism and xenophobia.
We reiterate from prior outreach:
As a holistic medical community, we recognize that compassion and love for one another takes work and that overcoming centuries of systemic racism and discrimination demands constant vigilance, action, and collaboration. We stand committed to anti-racist practices that root out bias, discrimination, and oppression in the medical field. We strive to create a world that is just and safe for all, with equitable laws, social opportunities, and access to healthcare that meet the needs of every human being in our global community.
Sadly, xenophobia is not new in America. To stand in unity implies knowing about the history of AAPI xenophobia. During the Acupuncture Medicine Day 2020 webinar, we shared that the deadliest lynching event in America was in 1871, the “Chinatown Massacre,” when 18 Chinese Americans were killed by a mob of 500 in Los Angeles. Dr. Erika Lee’s Testimony Statement to the US House Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties on March 18, 2021, provides a brief history of AAPI xenophobia.
The ASA is committed to anti-racist practices that root out bias, discrimination, and oppression in our profession. This is why the NCCAOM ASA Acupuncture Medicine Cultural Competency Task Force (AMCCTF) was created, to provide tools to initiate these discussions for our students, practitioners, and our profession.
We encourage everyone to stand in solidarity with AAPI communities.
- Learn about the history of US anti-Asian legislation such as that provided by Dr. Lee in her testimony.
- The Page Act of 1875, that excluded Chinese women from entering the United States, as they were thought of as prostitutes.
- Chinese Exclusion Act (1882), the first and only major legislation to exclude an entire national group, which later spread to other Asian groups, lasting 60 years.
- US Internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans in 1942-1945.
- Celebrate AAPI history such as
- The history of our medicine!
- Ing “Doc” Hay at the Kam Wah Chung & Co.
- Professor Chien-Shiung Wu (1912-1997), one of the most influential nuclear physicists of the 20th century, honored by USPS.
- AMCCTF has provided a Cultural Competency Resource List.
- Self-Reflect to learn about our own biases and prejudice to elevate our own cultural competence. When we elevate ourselves, we can elevate our communities and the world.
- AMCCTF has provided a Cultural Competency Self-Assessment
- The Implicit Bias Project can also help us reflect on our biases
- Support the communities affected.
- Asian Americans are generally considered an invisible group, both seen as perpetual foreigners at the same time as the model minority. These dual fallacies, cast AAPI as not “really” American. Support your AAPI communities and businesses!
- Learn about bystander interventions to stop anti-Asian and xenophobic harassment.
- Report AAPI Hate Incidences. 3,795 Hate incidents were reported to Stop AAPI Hate from March 2020 – Feb 2021.
- Take action in support of the AAPI community by following and supporting organizations like Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Stop AAPI Hate, Act to Change, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta.
- Support local, state, and national anti-discrimination legislation
The ASA acknowledges that Asia and the Pacific Islands represent a large portion of the world. There is not just one voice. Americans of API diaspora have roots in many different languages, traditions, and cultures.
The ASA stands together with all of the AAPI communities against acts of hate and bigotry.
