Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
CPAF Family,
With the increase in anti-Asian violence and the recognition of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM), we have received an outpouring of support, from social media shout outs by partners and individuals to donations and community fundraising projects. Thank you! We wanted to take this month to share not only what we’ve been up to at CPAF but also information about and resources for our community.
AAPI History
Although “Asian Americans” was intended to be a terminology of solidarity, it can contribute to the erasure of the diversity within that community, just as the combining of Pacific Islander with Asian Americans contributes to Pasifika erasure. We recognize that there is more work to be done at CPAF in developing equitable resources and support. (For more information on the AAPI acronym, check out this great post from Dear Asian Youth.
Megan, a former CPAF communications intern studying Law, History and Culture at USC, chose to share a little about her ethnic identity—one that tends to be underrepresented in the API community—Iu Mien.
"The Secret War during the Vietnam War in Southeast Asia brought my family here as refugees. We are often overlooked in the discourse surrounding API history, but we are here, despite the diaspora, still surviving.”
"I got this tattoo at the beginning of the year, it is an Iu Mien word meaning ‘heart’, not the actual organ but the central core of where our love, pain, & passion are felt. I think it encompasses both the heartache and resiliency my people have faced and continue to face so I wanted to honor that with this."
Alumni Spotlight: Rucha Tadwalkar
Give in May
Given the enduring impact of the pandemic on the AAPI community (rise in anti-Asian violence, disproportionate COVID-19 death rates in Pacific Islander communities, unemployment, etc.) nonprofits on the frontlines need your support now more than ever. CPAF is participating in Give In May, a national campaign to support organizations serving the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Your donations help to support our clients; our crisis intervention, prevention, shelter, hotline and community programs; and the staff who are behind the scenes! You can donate to our Give In May campaign at Center for the Pacific Asian Family (CPAF) | Give In May! We’re more than halfway to our goal with less than a week to go and we appreciate any and all contributions.
CPAF loves hearing what former staff and volunteers are up to in their lives. Rucha has held different staff member roles over the years, and recently returned to CPAF to facilitate client wellness groups that are being held via Zoom during the pandemic. A recently-published author whose book "The Meditation Sutras" provides practical tips for those wishing to start a meditation practice, Rucha is helping CPAF clients and staff learn meditation techniques to practice mindfulness and relieve stress.
Are you a former CPAF staff or volunteer who would like to be in our next Alumni Spotlight?
Reach out to us at development@cpaf.info!
Supporting API Youth Mental Health
May is also Mental Health Awareness Month. There is still tremendous stigma in Asian communities in talking about mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and suicide. Because of the pandemic, and with the ongoing trauma of anti-Asian violence, many people are feeling the impact on their mental and emotional health.
A report from the American Psychological Association states that suicide is the second leading cause of death for Asian-Americans aged 15-34. If you suspect that someone has suicidal thoughts, ask directly if they are considering suicide. If the person says ‘yes’, take it seriously & help them obtain professional help. If you believe a suicide attempt is imminent, do not leave the person alone. Call a suicide prevention hotline. (https://www.apa.org/pi/oema/resources/ethnicity-health/asian-american/suicide)
While we are trying to take care of ourselves and process ongoing trauma, there is also concern for youth who are returning to schools in the wake of the anti-Asian violence. Our partners at the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence offer some suggestions:
Using creative, intersectional, and culturally centered workshops & conversations, we can help prevent the consequences of racism, white supremacy, xenophobia, and misogyny. The time is now. But how do we start the conversation? – Well, as youth from the Partnership’s Youth Advisory Committee shared: When a parent says “Let’s talk,” it’s never a good thing. A suggestion is to find a tool or activity that can help make space for such a conversation. For example, a movie, song, show, or story that can create a bridge for the topic. In Ana’s Alarm, a new interactive story showing the educational barriers experienced by a Filipina American youth, there are various spaces for those bridges to be created: https://preventionacrossca.org/ana.html
Prevention Program Updates
Youth Forum Registration
Our API Youth Forum will be held virtually on June 9, 2021 from 2PM to 5PM PST. The theme this year is OUR STORIES: Looking Back to Move Forward. The main objectives are to celebrate and acknowledge the contribution of youth on their journey to end violence and to embrace cultural identity, who we are and tell our stories.
The past year has been full of challenges and triumphs, sadness, hope, struggles, healing, and laughter. Join us to look back at our journey: where we came from, what we’ve gone through, and what we’ve been able to do together. Honor the stories that have been passed down to us, the stories about our communities, the stories we tell ourselves and the ones we’re ready to share with others. We’re going to celebrate what it means to move forward on whatever paths we find ourselves on. We’re moving forward one step at a time to grow our efforts, to foster togetherness, and to build community.
If you know a youth who is interested in participating, they can:
CPAF Youth Leaders Working To End Relationship Violence
Let’s celebrate CPAF youth leaders and advocates who are working to prevent relationship violence before it begins. Kaile Fernandes, a CPAF Rooted Leader, shares the story of how she developed a club at her high school to create a space for students to have discussions to better understand what healthy relationships look like. Check out her story in the California Health Report: Taking a Stand.
Shelter Program Updates
Vaccines at Shelter Sites
CPAF staff are considered community health workers who provide services for people experiencing homelessness. Through a partnership with the Department of Health Services, CPAF staff were able to start receiving the COVID-19 vaccine as part of Phase 1a/Tier 2. A big thank you goes to Patima Komolamit, CPAF’s Shelter Program Director, and CPAF’s HR/Admin team of Jane Kim and Michelle Li! They worked tirelessly over the past several months to ensure that CPAF staff and shelter clients could get vaccinated, and handled so many logistics, paperwork, and other arrangements. Thank you for the care you showed to CPAF staff and clients!
Garden of Healing Project
Gardens are about nurturing growth in ourselves and other living things. Thanks to a generous donor, survivors living in CPAF shelters were able to start gardens during the pandemic. Grant funds were used to purchase plants for survivors, and plant a communal garden. The talented green thumbs at CPAF are also using the cuttings from the plants to grow new plants for survivors to take with them when they exit the shelter.
Donor Thank Yous
Thank you to USC’s International Business Society for donating journal kits to the clients and staff in our shelters for Mother’s Day! In addition to the 32 kits, they also contributed masks and extra journals and bags. (Below)
Sarah Emanuel and Elena Chernyakova donated 40 gift bags with self-care items, including hand lotions, socks, and face masks. (Above)