DEI Open Forum Recap - April 8, 2021

April 8, 2021 DEI Open Forum Recap

On Thursday, April 8th, WGR’s DEI Committee held its third Open Forum, which brought together approximately 25 WGR members to reflect upon the ongoing violence that’s been plaguing the Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Nearly 3,800 incidents of violence and harassment against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have been reported in the past year.

The discussion included a number of timely and insightful remarks by guest speaker Madelene Mielke, President and CEO of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS). In addition to the violence that’s ongoing towards the AAPI community,  Madelene spoke about the history of oppression and racial discrimination that the AAPI community has been burdended by  for well over a century -- beginning in the United States with the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.

Madelene spoke about the importance of allyship, and outlined a number of ways that individuals can show their support for the AAPI community, by both becoming involved with a number of key AAPI organizations as well as other organizations focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion for all. Madalene also noted that what is beneficial for one community is in essence beneficial for all communities, so it is important to not only “talk the talk, but walk the walk” across all social and identity issues - we must stand up and speak up when we witness injustice in any form!

The Open Forum attendees engaged Madelene by asking a number of thought-provoking questions that sparked a robust conversation. WGR would like to take this opportunity to thank Madelene and so many strong members within our WGR community for joining us on April 8th. For more information about APAICS, please visit their website at https://apaics.org. If you are interested in showing support for (and to) the AAPI community, please find a list of organizations and other resources below:

Asian American Day of Action’s state by state list of AAPI organizations: https://www.asianamericandayofaction.com/organization-partner-list/

Instagram Resources:

@nextshark

@cefaan

@asiansformentalhealth

@veryasian.co

@aapiwomenlead

@stopaapihate

APAICS list of Asian Hate Crime and Hate Bias Incident Resources:

https://apaics.org/asian-hate-crime-and-hate-bias-incident-resources

NAPABA Hate Crime Resources:

https://www.napaba.org/page/HateCrimeResources

WGR’s DEI Committee hosts open forums during critical times when key events affect the WGR membership.  Have thoughts or questions on a topic for discussion? WGR’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee values member feedback in our shared work. You can contact us directly at dei.wgr@gmail.com or complete this anonymous survey.