With violence against Asians and Asian Americans spiking, we express our solidarity with the Asian and Pacific Islander communities, and encourage everyone in the legal profession and beyond to use resources to take action in support.
The recent increase in racist violence highlights the urgency of action. Importantly and intolerably, violence against Asian and Pacific Islander, Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, Latinx, and other communities of color, as well as the transgender community has been traumatizing across generations.
Our organization stands against racism, xenophobia, and bigotry in all forms. As we’ve said previously, racism, bigotry, and hatred undermine well-being and justice, and our organization is committed to improving well-being and resilience in the legal community.
We are here to help lawyers, law students, and judges in Massachusetts process trauma, as well as feelings of helplessness, anger, anxiety, grief, disgust, frustration, and address mental health concerns. Members of the Massachusetts legal profession can find more on scheduling an appointment with a licensed clinician here.
Adapting to life-as-it-is can blind us to realities that we need not simply accept. As we recognized following waves of violence against Black Americans last year, moments like the current one, in which undeniable brutality highlights the extent to which chronic racism and inequity are embedded in our culture, can make much more salient the realities that are more comfortable to deny. Our heightened awareness provides an opportunity to ask ourselves, as in therapy, what we each can do to counteract this malignant force in our society. We must all take responsibility for our choices, motivations, and prejudices and to act in a way that is commensurate with our values.
Resources for Action
Free Bystander Intervention Trainings from Asian American Advancing Justice and Hollaback!
Donate to Victims & Families in Georgia (Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Atlanta)
Safety Tips for Those Experiencing or Witnessing Hate (Stop AAPI Hate)
Challenging Anti-Asian Bias and Acting as an Ally (Anti-Defamation League)
