It’s Andrew and Simon, founders of Holden. We wanted to take a moment to address the recent tragedies involving violence and hate against Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders. It’s been a difficult few weeks for our team, and it’s been so challenging to find the right words to describe how many of our Asian and Asian American team members have been feeling.
As two Asian Americans born and raised in suburban America, we both grew up in a world where we were constantly reminded that we never fully fit in. While most episodes of anti-Asian racism came in the form of lunch table jokes from our peers, harmful stereotypes were regularly perpetuated and validated by our teachers, our coaches, and adult voices around us.
The other side of this world in which we grew up was our traditional Korean and Chinese upbringing, which often told us to keep our heads down. We watched as our parents battled racism and discrimination with silence and a strong work ethic. Now, along with many of our AAPI peers, we face an unfamiliar struggle to find our voice in this fight.
With Holden, we’ll continue to work every day to create a more inclusive and loving world, one where we hope every single person can feel seen and cherished. We’ve compiled some resources to help you join us in learning, participating, and donating to the fight against racism.
Resources, Organizations, and Names to Know to Support the AAPI Community
Educational Articles
- National Geographic: America's Long History of Scapegoating its Asian Citizens
- Human Rights Watch: Covid-19 Fueling Anti-Asian Racism and Xenophobia Worldwide
- The New York Times: Spit On, Yelled At, Attacked: Chinese-Americans Fear for Their Safety
- PBS: The Long History of Racism Against Asian Americans in the U.S.
- NPR: The History Of Anti-Asian Sentiment In The U.S
Reporting Incidents/Bystander Intervention
- Stop AAPI Hate
- Stand Against Hatred
- The Stop Hate Project
- Bystander Intervention Virtual Training
- iHollaBack Guide to Bystander Intervention
Organizations to Know
- GoFundMe’s AAPI Community Fund distributes donations to organizations that uplift and protect the AAPI community.
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice is a civil and human rights organization with the goal of promoting a fair and equitable society for all.
- Send Chinatown Love provides relief efforts to small businesses in NYC’s Chinatown suffering from the impacts of COVID-19.
- GAPIMNY is an organization set out to empower queer and trans Asian Pacific Islanders to create positive change.
- Heart of Dinner works to fight food insecurity and isolation experienced by Asian American seniors by providing meals in NYC.
- Red Canary Song is a grassroots organization of migrant & Asian sex workers founded after the 2017 death of a New York massage worker during a police raid.
- AAPI Women Lead started the #ImReady movement, intended to encourage self-identified AAPI women and girls to share their stories.
- National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum elevates AAPI women and girls to impact policy and drive systemic change in the United States.
- Welcome To Chinatown is a grassroots initiative to support Chinatown businesses and amplify community voices.
- Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans.
- Asian Pacific Fund is a fundraiser set up to strengthen the Asian and Pacific Islander community in the Bay Area.
Mental Health Resources
- Sunshine Behavioral Health has compiled a list of mental health issues facing the Asian American community.
- Inclusive Therapists decolonizes and destigmatizes mental health by celebrating all identities, abilities, and bodies.
- Womankind (formerly New York Asian Women’s Center) works with survivors of gender-based violence to rise above trauma.
- Asians Do Therapy normalizes therapy in Asian communities.
- Asian Mental Health Collective is building a community for Asian mental health support.
To find more mental health and substance abuse resources for the AAPI community, Detox Local has curated a helpful list.
Books on the AAPI Experience
- Minor Feelings - An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong
- The Gangster We Are All Looking For by Le Thi Diem Thúy
- Asian American Dreams - The Emergence of an American People by Helen Zia
- On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
- America is in the Heart: A Personal History by Carlos Bulosan
- Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
- The Makings of Asian America: A History by Erika Lee
- The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
- All You Can Ever Know: A Memoir by Nicole Chung
AAPI Voices
- Jenny Dorsey (she/her)
- Michelle Kim (she/her)
- Amanda Nguyễn (she/her)
- Mimi Zhu (they/them)
- Steven Kabayashi (he/him)
- Kim Saira (she/her)
- Jeannie Park (she/her)
Questions? Give us a shout at help@hiholden.com or a ring (pun intended) at 646.722.6817.
Cover illustration courtesy of Emily Byang for Welcome to Chinatown.