May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, where we celebrate those of Asian and Pacific Islander descent in the United States.  This month, we are taking time to celebrate the AAPI community & their contributions on our social media and highlighting ways to support the AAPI community.

While this is a month of celebration, we also acknowledge the rise of Anti-Asian racism and hate in this country. 

Hate crimes reported to the FBI by law enforcement agencies rose from more than 8,000 in 2020 to nearly 11,000 the following year, according to 2023 statistics. Of those, crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders nearly doubled, according to the data.

We must do better. We must continue to stand up and call out hate when we see and hear it.

With that in mind, we call on you to learn some bystander intervention skills so you can be prepared. Our friends at Right to Be are hosting a FREE bystander intervention training on Wednesday, May 24 from 2-3 pm. We encourage you to sign up and attend. Click on the image below to sign up!

In addition, we’ve found a few other ways you can support APPI communities today. 

• See Something, Say Something. Report hate crimes against the AAPI community at StandAgainstHatred.org & Stop AAPI Hate.
  
• Fund organizations like Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, who have been supporting the AAPI communities for decades; the Hamkae Center, which organizes Asian Americans to achieve social, economic, and racial justice in Virginia & the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF), the only organization focused on building power with AAPI women and girls.
  
• Learn about AAPI history in our DC community. This WTOP story is a great place to start.
  
• Join Act to Change for the 5th Annual National AAPI Day Against Bullying + Hate on May 18! Learn more here.