Action Corner

What action will you take?

Advocacy is taking action in support of a cause. Ready to take action? Here you can find simple ways to engage with a few issues that are important for all of us at AAPI Youth Rising. Do you have actions to highlight? Contact info@aapiyouthrising.org! AAPI Youth Rising believes in…

• Fighting for inclusive education
• Promoting safer and healthier communities
• Coalition building
• Raising our youth voices
• Civic engagement

Alliance For a Healthier Generation: How to Foster Self-Awareness When Challenging Emotions Arise

We’re all healthier and stronger when we can identify, share, and manage our emotions with the people closest to us.

In celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Healthier Generation and Kohl’s Healthy at Home are collaborating with Act to Change and AAPI Youth Rising to share ways to foster healthy social-emotional skills with your family by creating a new microlearning, How to Foster Self-Awareness When Challenging Emotions Arise.

Learn to understand, communicate, and navigate feelings and experiences as a family using this interactive resource. 

Act to Change empowers students, families, and educators by providing resources to become active anti-bullying ambassadors in their communities. AAPI Youth Rising is a student-led organization whose mission is to take small actions to make positive change in our communities. Begin your journey HERE!

Annual National Day Against Bullying and Hate

AAPI Youth Rising is a proud organizational partner for the Annual National AAPI Day Against Bullying and Hate. You’re never too young to make a difference. Join us in speaking out.

On May 18, 2023, anti-bullying nonprofit Act To Change is rallying the nation in commemorating the fifth Annual National Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Day Against Bullying and Hate. [Your organization name] is committed to ending bullying and hate in the AAPI community and is proud to join over 100 organizations and over 40 cities, states and jurisdictions in this movement.

Act To Change’s commemoration on May 18 is part of Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month and marks the birthday of Vincent Chin. In 1982, Chin was falsely blamed for the layoffs in the auto industry, and brutally murdered in a racial hate crime. He lost his life simply because he was Asian. Chin’s death launched the modern Asian American movement, and we’re proud to join Act To Change in continuing this movement. Take the Pledge Against Bullying here!

Stop Mental Health Stigma in Our Communities Act

The AANHPI community faces a growing mental health crisis, including increased AANHPI youth deaths by suicide. And we aren’t seeking the help we need. This is due to intergenerational and cultural differences and stigmas about mental health that are unique to our communities. The statistics are real and to join as a signatory organization to the Stop Mental Health Stigma in Our Communities Act introduced by US Sen. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) to the 118th Congress on May 30, 2023 and reintroduced by Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) and Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA). Email your legislators in support!

Minnesota: Include AAPI History

AYR’s Minnesota Chapter Leader Emma Yu launches a petition to collaborate with State rep. Patricia Mueller in effort to transform the Minnesota AAPI History bill into law. Take a minute and sign the petition.

Wix Page on AAPI Hate Crimes

AYR’s Chapter Leader Kaleb Condez launches a website to stop AAPI hate. Take a minute to check it out Kaleb’s new Stop AAPI Hate Crimes website and educate yourself on this topic.

California vs. Hate – Report Hate

Did you know that you’re never too young to stand up to hate? Are you bullied in school? Do you need someone to talk to? Kids can call too. It’s anonymous and there are tons of resources to support you! All kids deserve to feel safe in their homes, communities and schools. And the first step for feeling safe is asking for help.

Free support is available to victims and witnesses who report hate. CA vs Hate is not affiliated with law enforcement and your report can be made anonymously, regardless of immigration status. Your voice matters in the fight to reduce hate. Join us in our mission of making California a more safe and inclusive place for all. Report at www.cavshate.org.

Teaching Asian Pacific American History Act

Exciting news! Teaching Asian Pacific American History Act was officially reintroduced! Shout out to US Sen. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joins Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) in reintroducing legislation to promote the teaching of AANHPI history in public schools. Write your legislators in support! See options for contacting Senators here! Find your district’s Representative here!Specifically, the act would:

• require grant applications from Presidential and Congressional Academies to include AANHPI history as part of their American history and civics programs
• encourage the inclusion of AANHPI history in national and state tests administered through the National Assessment of Education programs
• promote collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution’s Asian Pacific American Center to develop innovating programming regarding AANHPI history

Join Right Our Story

Right Our Story is a campaign to address race-based bullying. Racial stereotypes, mean jokes, and calling folks names has never been ok. But bullying happens so often and in so many different ways, it can start to feel almost normal.

Right Our Story is looking to change the narrative and we need your stories of bullying. You can share your anonymous story here. You can join the community and follow the movement!

Support resolution designating May 10, 2023 as National Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Mental Health Day

AYR joins as a Community Champion committed to celebrating National AANHPI Mental Health Day! In 2021, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) introduced the first congressional resolution to recognize May 10th as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Mental Health Day. This resolution calls upon Members of Congress to promote national awareness of mental health issues unique to the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community and urges State and local health agencies across the nation to improve the quality and availability of mental health services for this population.

This year, the national resolution will be introduced again on May 10th, marking the 3rd anniversary of AANHPI Mental Health Day. AYR is proud to join as a community partner in support. Write your representative to support this national resolution! See options for contacting Senators here! Find your district’s Representative here! Check out the latest status on state and city proclamations spearheaded by NAAPIMHA here!

Assault weapon legislation

Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Chris Murphey (D-Conn.) introduced a pair of bills on January 23, 2023, to protect communities from assault weapons. These bills come at the heels of the 6th mass shooting in California in 13 days. Assault weapons designed to kill as many people as quickly as possible have no business in our schools or our communities. The Assault Weapons Ban would ban the sale, transfer, manufacture, and importation of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and other high-capacity ammunition-feeding devices. This includes the gun used by a shooter on January 22 to kill 11 people and injure 9 more at the Lunar New Year’s celebration in Monterey Park, Calif. The Age 21 Act would raise the minimum age to purchase assault weapons from 18 to 21, the same requirement that currently exists in law for handguns.

Contact your Senators and ask them to vote in support of the bills. You can do this by sending them an email through their website and referencing the two bills below, or you can call their office too. With just a few minutes, you can share your opinion! Make sure to include your personal stories or opinions in your email to your Senators. 

Support Legislative Package Honoring Civil Rights Icon Fred Korematsu

U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Representative Jill Tokuda (D-HI) introduced a package of bills honoring civil rights icon Fred Korematsu. The bills, also introduced by Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Representative Mark Takano (D-CA), include a resolution establishing a national “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution,” the Fred Koreamatsu Congressional Gold Medal Act, and the Korematsu-Takai Civil Liberties Protection Act. Fred Korematsu stood up for over 120,000 Japanese people who were forcibly relocated and interned during World War II. He spent his life fighting for justice and equality. Write to your Senators and Representatives to support these bills. Here are some organizations who wrote in support. See options for contacting Senators here! Find your district’s Representative here!

Make Us Visible Florida

Make Us Visible is a national movement of local communities coming together to advocate for the inclusion of AAPI history in the K-12 curriculum in every state in America! We advocate for our state legislatures to adopt this inclusion of state history into law.

MUSV FL Passed into State Law! Congrats to AYR Chapter Leader Colin Poon and the MUVFL team! This action is HAPPENING!

STATEMENT FROM MUVFL: There has been a lot of misinformation about the FL AAPI history bill. This was a two-year effort led by a multiracial interfaith coalition of volunteers. Our coalition included folks of all backgrounds, races, religions, genders, sexualities, ages, etc.  In addition, for the past several years, Florida’s K-12 general statutes include Holocaust studies, women’s contributions, Hispanic contributions, and African American history (since 1994). 

With the support, guidance, and leadership of organizations reflective of the aforementioned communities, the AAPI history bill was able to successfully move forward. 

No legislation is perfect; however, this is a win for our diverse community. This is how we see it here in Florida, and it is unfortunate that the bill passage has been manipulated to become a national wedge issue. It was a united multiracial interfaith community-led effort through and through. 

Citizens’ Answer to Hate-Fueled Violence

Dignity.us is a citizens’ initiative to address the rise in hate-fueled violence in America. We all deserve safer communities. You can share your ideas, testimonials, and suggestions at Dignity.us. Once this information gathering is complete, Dignity.us will turn these findings into a country-wide response. You can share your story here and make a difference every day by choosing hope! Big news coming June 2023. Stay tuned.

Immigrant Family Health Care

All people living in the U.S. should have a right to affordable health care. Unfortunately, immigrants face barriers when it comes to seeking care and they are often forced to pay for care.

The HEAL for Immigrant Families Act would remove some barriers to health care coverage for immigrant communities by removing a five-year waiting period for immigrants to be eligible for Medicaid and CHIP coverage, extending the same coverage to DACA recipients, and extending savings and tax credits to undocumented immigrants.

The HEAL Act was last introduced in the 117th Congress (2021-2023). In January 2023, a new Congress will be sworn in. The HEAL Act will be reintroduced later this year. Interested in learning about how bills are drafted and re-introduced to a new Congress? Join us at a Thursday working session with National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum NAPAWF. Email info@aapiyouthrising.org to join.

One Day of AAPI History Lesson

The ONE DAY OF AAPI HISTORY LESSON is a one-hour introductory lesson about the history of Asians in America. We volunteer to teach our lesson to classrooms across America. Read about our lesson at Teach for America. Our lesson launched in May 2022 and we have already taught thousands of students. You can sign up to have AYR join your classroom or organization here. Stream our FREE Lesson here.

ONE/180 Pledge

The ONE/180 pledge asks our schools and teachers to teach at least one day of Asian American history and culture during the school year. Out of the 180 instructional days that we receive, we’re asking for at least one day. Sign the pledge here!

Join AAPI Youth Rising!

Chapter Leaders pledge to bring our ONE DAY OF AAPI HISTORY Lesson to a classroom or organization. Ambassadors pledge to take part in one small action during the school year. Small actions add up to make a difference. Email us at info@aapiyouthrising.org or find more information here!

Legislative Advocacy

Contact your Representative or Congressperson about anything you believe in:

• Email your Representative about an issue important to you! Did you know that your member of Congress will write you back? Find your district’s Representative here
• Contact your U.S. Senator. See options for contacting Senators here
• Visit your Congressperson. Members of Congress have offices both on Capitol Hill and in their home state or district. Contact your member’s staff to schedule a visit
• Sign up for your elected officials’ newsletters
• Check out Congress.gov for information on legislative action