California-based Cathay Bank Foundation is donating $1 million to multiple organizations that promote diversity and fight anti-Asian hate.
Distribution: Five major nonprofits will each receive a grant of $100,000, namely Stop AAPI Hate, the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON), the Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), the Asian American Education Project (AAEdu) and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice–Los Angeles. Ten more organizations will each receive a grant ranging from $15,000 to $50,000, according to a press release.
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- Stop AAPI Hate was formed in early 2020 in response to the increase of anti-Asian incidents as COVID-19 entered the U.S. Between March 19, 2020 and June 30, 2021, the group has received more than 9,000 reports of such incidents.
- A3PCON, part of the coalition that formed Stop AAPI Hate, is a group of community-based organizations that advocate for the rights and needs of Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) communities in the greater Los Angeles Area. These include low income, immigrant, refugee and other disadvantaged sectors of the population.
- CAA, which also helped form Stop AAPI Hate, advocates for systemic change that protects immigrant rights, promotes language diversity and remedies social injustice for AAPI communities. Among its focus is the Justice Department’s alleged practice of targeting Chinese Americans as espionage suspects.
- AAEdu creates lesson plans that educate the youth about AAPI history. Its ultimate goal is to have long-term impact on future generations.
- Advancing Justice – LA is the largest legal and civil rights organization for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) in the country. It serves more than 15,000 individuals and organizations every year through direct services, impact litigation, policy advocacy, leadership development and capacity building.
- The other 10 organizations receiving grants include: Chinese American Museum ($50,000), LAAUNCH ($50,000), Southern California Public Radio ($50,000), LA vs Hate ($50,000), Asian Americans Advancing Justice-San Francisco-Asian Law Caucus ($50,000), UCLA Labor Center ($50,000), Asian Law Alliance ($15,000), Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment ($15,000), Chinatown Service Center ($15,000) and Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights ($15,000).
Why this matters: Cathay Bank Foundation leaders said they are making the donations to promote a more inclusive future. They also acknowledged the need to aid groups that directly address anti-Asian hate, which has intensified with the onset of the pandemic.
- “We are proud to support these esteemed organizations in the fight against racism and xenophobia. We believe these donations will go a long way toward fostering a more inclusive culture for all,” said Peter Wu, vice chairman of Cathay Bank and chairman of Cathay Bank Foundation.
- Deborah Ching, co-chair of the Cathay Bank Foundation, said: “The strategy behind our donation is to invest in diversity education, and plant seeds of change in perceptions and attitudes towards Asians for future generations. We support our community who is working tirelessly to address hate violence against Asians and others, by providing important community resources.”
Featured Image via Cathay Bank Foundation
