AAPI Strong CA Mission

Our AAPI Strong CA initiative recognizes that anti-Asian hate is part of a longer history of violence against people of color, working class, and immigrant communities. Our AAPI Strong CA program is committed to combating the systems that enable hate to manifest, by providing educational resources, mental health support, and community-focused trainings and webinars, in hopes of advocating for a more equitable society. 

A Historical Perspective:  

Historically, the U.S. relied on Asian migrant labor in the 19th century to bolster its economy; and still, Asian migrants were the targets of violence, from the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, assaults against Filipino farmworkers in the 1930s, Japanese internment camps of the 1930s, among others. We recognize that anti-Asian violence is inseparable from the struggles of Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities, where systems of policing and criminalization disproportionately target these communities.

Our Approach: A central focus of AAPI Strong CA is to bring these forgotten histories to the fore for the public, as understanding one’s historical narrative, and its continuities, allows one to better understand the ways that systemic violence functions to sustain racism, poverty, homelessness, and negative mental health. AAPI Strong CA calls attention to these forms of violence by building solidarity with other BIPOC communities to confront the realities we are currently faced with. 

Resources

We are committed to providing healing, hope, and understanding to our communities and beyond.

AAPISTRONG CA is a part of the national #AAPISTRONG movement led by National ACE. Our goal is to connect AAPI small business owners throughout the United States with resources to combat discrimination and find meaningful solutions together. You can learn more about the national movement at aapistrong.com.

The CalAsian Foundation Invites Your Corporation to Support our #AAPISTRONGCA Campaign

Why Invest in AAPI Strong?

Your donation to the CalAsian Foundation will ensure that our member organizations and chambers continue to support their small businesses with resources needed to survive the pandemic by:

  • Providing complimentary consulting for AAPI small business owners to help them apply for government relief programs and grants
  • Organizing AAPI bias and cultural sensitivity trainings for small business owners
  • Funding our small business data share initiative to collect and distribute data on the AAPI small business community and measure how racial discrimination and the pandemic have impacted AAPI business + share key findings with policymakers to advocate for change and give a national voice to our community
  • Facilitating conversations for better policies and protections for our communities through regular roundtables with elected officials, policymakers, AAPI business owners, and the CalAsian alliance partners.

Sponsors