On a rainy Wednesday in San Gabriel, Asian seniors are openly sharing their stories about dealing with harassment and discrimination. The dialogue — which took place two years after deadly shootings at spas in Atlanta that targeted Asian communities — is open and non-judgmental.
“Someone yelled at me on the street to ‘Go back to China!’,” shared Koreatown resident Esther Cheng, 76. “I didn’t engage — we are taught to be humble, to stand down, even when it’s not your fault. We have to be safe — especially if the police don’t come right away.”
About one-third of Asian Americans fear physical and verbal violence against them, research shows.
Amid the rise in nationwide anti-Asian hate crimes, racially-motivated threats and discrimination, organizations are training Asian communities — especially seniors — in the Los Angeles area what to do if they witness or become a victim of harassment.
Civil rights nonprofit Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California launched its inaugural bystander intervention training in 2021 — one month after the Atlanta spa shootings that killed eight people, including six Asian women.
Nearly 100 community members came to the Mandarin and Cantonese workshops held Wednesday, March 15, at the Blossom Market Hall in San Gabriel.
Organizers said these free verbal trainings are held several times a month in different languages — including English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and Tagalog — and rotate at community venues around the San Gabriel Valley and Los Angeles area. Through these trainings, Advancing Justice has worked with thousands in-person and online, from high schoolers to the elderly.
The in-language trainings were created in partnership with the nonprofit Right to Be, which provides resources to end harassment and prevent it from escalating into physical violence.
“We want people to understand that if they see any discrimination, that they know how to react —…
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