By now we’re sure that you’ve heard about the atrocity that occurred in Atlanta, Georgia last week. And with that in mind, we’re sure that many of you are looking for ways to help support Vancouver’s Asian community.
However, it is also worth mentioning that ultimately the biggest thing that you can do is unlearn your own biases and educate yourself. Additionally, call out racism that you see in your daily life. In order to make the world a better place and safe for everyone, we must all individually do our part.
With all of that in mind, here are some great ways to actively support the Asian community in Vancouver.
GET EDUCATED
First things first, it’s important to educate yourself on what exactly is going on right now. Two great websites with loads of resources for that are project 1907 and act2endracism. These platforms have a ton of history, statistics, and community resources available.
DONATE
Let’s be real, money talks. If you’re able to, there are a ton of great organizations putting in the legwork to fight anti-Asian racism. We’re just going to give you a little list here, feel free to donate to as many as you can: #StopAsianHate GoFundMe, Canadian Anti-Racism Network, South Asian Women’s Centre, Canadian Society for Asian Arts, Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic.
Chinatown Foundation
The Chinatown Foundation is dedicated to creating a more resilient community, helping those in need, and preserving Chinatown’s cultural heritage. So that means some of their work includes affordable housing, seniors housing, and cultural and economic development. You can help them with a donation.
Shop at an Asian-owned business
Vancouver, Richmond, and other metro areas have large and vibrant Asian communities. And that means that there are a plethora of Asian-owned businesses that you can support by giving them your business. So whether you’re dining out, grocery shopping, or shopping in general, shop Asian-owned.
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Follow Asian creators
This is a way to support the Asian community as a whole. It’s important to diversify your feeds whether it’s news, social media, or Youtube. And no matter what you’re into whether it’s politics, food, lifestyle content, there are Asian creators that you can support simply by following them and interacting with their content.
Asian Canadian Benevolent Association For The Elderly
The ACBA works to help vulnerable seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income families. Additionally, they also help the homeless and single-parent families so their work is imperative in our city. You can help them with a donation.
Learn bystander intervention
As we mentioned above, one of the best ways to combat any racism is by speaking back and out. But we understand that many people do not feel equipped to do that. However, thanks to Asian Americans Advancing Justice, you can take a free online bystander intervention course. All you have to do is register online!
Those are our ideas for giving back to the Asian community in Vancouver. We hope that you incorporate these ideas into your life and share them with friends and family.
Additionally, we hope that you will take the time to seriously look at any biases that you may hold in your life and unlearn them. With that have a great week and stay safe.
