We are incredibly saddened to hear news of the recent shooting in the Atlanta, Georgia area yesterday, which took eight lives – many of which were women of Asian descent. Our hearts are with those individuals and families who have been targeted by such senseless violence and hate.

While this news is shocking, violence against Asian-Americans is not a new phenomenon, and is in fact a growing issue. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-Asian racism has surged at an unprecedented rate. Incidents include physical attacks, denial of services at businesses, verbal abuse, and xenophobic messages communicated by leaders in government. Here in our own community, there have been reports of increased vandalism in Portland’s Jade District, which is home to many Asian-owned businesses.

Cascadia is committed to fighting back against racism in all forms and ensuring our Asian employees, clients, and community members feel safe and respected. It’s crucial we come together to educate ourselves about these issues, stand up to racism wherever we see it, and work to build the safe, inclusive communities we all deserve.

Join us in standing up to anti-Asian racism. We encourage our community to show compassion to our Asian neighbors and friends, support Asian-owned businesses here in Oregon, and explore other educational tools and resources about this issue:

Bystander Intervention:  

• Do’s and don’ts for bystander intervention (AFSC)
• How to respond to coronavirus racism (Teaching Tolerance)

Report Instances of anti-Asian harassment:

• Stand Against Hatred website (Asian Americans Advancing Justice)
• Stop AAPI Hate reporting website (Asia Pacific Policy Planning Council)

More tools:

• Know your rights during COVID-19 (Vision Change Win)
• Self-care tips for Asians dealing with COVID-19 racism (Huffington Post)
• Anti-stigma social media toolkit for public health (Seattle and King County)
• Racial Justice & Social Equity Resource List (Racial Equity Tools)

Thank you for being part of our whole community.