Dealing with Asian Discrimination During Coronavirus
Being caught in the middle of a pandemic is hard. Being caught in a pandemic away from home -- is even harder.
While many college students returned to their homes when the coronavirus hit, University of St. Thomas junior and Indonesian international student Olivia Tjokrosetio made the difficult decision to stay in Minnesota.
“I just didn’t know if I went back home, would I be let back into the country for school in the fall?” she said. “What if there’s a full-out travel ban by then? I didn’t want to take that risk so I stayed.”
Tjokrosetio says she and her family in Indonesia give each other frequent virtual updates while taking the necessary precautions to stay safe and social distance. It doesn’t ease all of their worries, however, especially concerns she has/they have about anti-Asian prejudice during the global health response.
Within its first four weeks of launching, an online reporting center called Stop AAPI Hate says it has received almost 1,500 direct reports of coronavirus-related discrimination in 45 states across the country. They also found that Asian American women were harassed more than twice as often than Asian American men.
MPR News hosted a May 12 virtual town hall event to explore the rising rates of Asian bias incidents. Spotlight on Anti-Asian Racism During the COVID-19 Pandemic, hosted by MPR’s race, class and communities editor Laura Yuen, provided timely context into the resurgence of hate-crimes and racial bullying.
“I try my best to not go out as much as possible because I know that it’s different for me and people of our race,” Tjokrosetio said. “I think the hardest part about it is knowing that we can’t control what people think and feel. So, when I do go out, I try to cover up as much as possible. That way, no one can accuse me of trying to spread the virus or get people sick.”
Tjokrosetio says it takes up lot of her mental energy to read all the stories on anti-Asian discrimination and hate, but she’s been managing the stress and anxiety of the pandemic by making sure to do small things for herself and getting creative through art projects.
“I can immediately feel a release and I immediately feel better after I create something,” she said. “It’s like a little escape from everything that’s going on.”
With May marked as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month as well as Mental Health Awareness Month, Call to Mind has compiled a list of local and national resources specifically catered toward members of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities:
Wilder Foundation Programs for Southeast Asians (Minnesota)
The Amherst H. Wilder Foundation provides mental health and substance use recovery services for the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. They are currently open for phone and video appointments during the COVID-19 crisis and offer bilingual and culturally sensitive programs in English, Spanish, Hmong, Karen, Vietnamese and Khmer. The foundation has a team that “specializes in serving members of the Southeast Asian communities” and understands the “experience of living in two worlds.” Interpreters can be arranged for other languages as well.
National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA)
NAAPIMHA’s website features an extensive list of ethnically specific mental health providers and resources for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI). It also has emotional support infographics and a list of national organizations addressing COVID-19 disparities in the AANHPI community. On Friday, May 15, the organization will be hosting a virtual round-table discussion “Shining a Light on API Mental Health and COVID-19.” This conversation is free and open to the public.
The Sukhi Project has both an app and a website centered on mental health in the professional world. The mobile app was specifically created to provide “quick, bite-sized meditations” for frontline healthcare workers and is available for free on Google Play or the Apple App Store. Organizations hoping to assess the well-being of their professional working teams can venture to The Sukhi Project website, which provides a wellness assessment sign up, free virtual guided meditation session and resources to find a culturally sensitive therapist.
Self-care tips for Asian Americans from Asian American therapists (HuffPost)
This article from Huffington Post features suggestions from Asian American therapists on how fellow Asian Americans can manage their mental health during this pandemic, especially when they are currently at a higher risk of facing discrimination. Tips include seeking out virtual communities that can validate your experiences and emotions, taking a break from the news with a meditation or mindfulness exercise, and discovering literature, art, and media created by and for Asians.
Asian LifeNet Hotline, National Suicide Prevention Hotline
Asian LifeNet is a multicultural hotline that provides services specifically for Asians and Asian Americans. They operate 24/7 and have language translators in Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean and Fujianese. Call 1-877-990-8585 for immediate support or visit their website for more resources.
National Suicide Prevention Hotline
The National Suicide Prevention Hotline also offers immediate assistance in more than 150 languages; call 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) or visit them online.