Campaign to back Asian American nonprofits kick-started to commemorate heritage month

More than 80 organizations are participating in a national campaign to support nonprofits serving Asian Americans and Pacific Islander communities.

The campaign, launched May 1, coincides with the 30th anniversary of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

AAPI Data, one of the organizers of the event, said in a press release that the coronavirus pandemic has created a crucial need to bolster philanthropy to support the work of such nonprofits. It said those groups need funds to counter a surge of hate crimes and economic struggles in the retail and business sectors linked to xenophobia arising from misinformation about the cause of the virus.

Since the campaign’s launch, almost $25,000 has been raised from 109 donors.

More than 80 nonprofits from 25 cities are participating in the campaign. Among them is California-based Asian Americans Advancing Justice, which has been creating and compiling toolkits, guidelines and resources to handle racial profiling of Asian Americans during COVID-19.

A similar effort is being undertaken by Russell Jeung, Asian American Studies professor at San Francisco State University; the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council and Chinese for Affirmative Action. They co-founded an online reporting center available in 10 languages to report incidents of discriminatory acts against Asians. About 1,400 reports have been recorded since March 19, according to STOP AAPI Hate infographics.

Before COVID-19 hit, community leaders thought the heritage month would be an opportunity to bring the community together to support nonprofits that serve the most vulnerable AAPIs, said Audrey Yamamoto, executive director of Asian Pacific Fund.

But she said the rise of xenophobia stirred by coronavirus has made that task more vital, with rising fears making even the task of grocery shopping and running a business an ordeal for many.

For example, she said, Asian-owned restaurants have been perceived as more of a public health threat than non-Asian eateries and therefore have been hit especially hard during COVID-19, leading to layoffs and lost income.

Nonprofits face additional challenges of providing in-language resources to make sure people are getting accurate information on essential services such as unemployment assistance in their native languages.

But Yamamoto said some people are stepping up to help such nonprofits.

The press release cited an anonymous donor who donated $10,000 to 20 nonprofits. He was quoted saying: “As an immigrant and entrepreneur, I understand the financial struggle, especially for smaller nonprofit organizations during this time of pandemic.”

The initiative was built to generate more giving from the younger generation, said Karthick Ramakrishnan, founding director of AAPI Data. “We want to provide a platform for smaller donations and leverage the power of social media and social networks,” Ramakrishnan said.

Each non-profit is allowed to tell their story on the “Give In May” website, which can raise awareness, he added.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month commemorates the history, contributions and achievements of the AAPI community. The month of May was chosen because of two historic milestones: May 7, 1843, when the first Japanese immigrants landed in the U.S.; and May 10, 1869, when the first transcontinental railroad was completed with significant contributions from Chinese workers.

The “Give In May” Campaign runs for the entire month.

“We hope that ‘Give In May’ will inaugurate a new era in AAPI philanthropy,” Ramakrishnan said. “In addition to making this an annual event, we hope to grow a new generation of AAPI philanthropy, to carry our community forward for the next decade, and beyond.”

This story was originally published May 4, 2020 at 1:16 PM.