On February 29, during a meeting organized by Ethnic Media Services (EMS), representatives from the South Asian Justice Center (AJSOCAL), Asian American Advancing Justice – AAJC, and Microsoft came together to unveil the Asian American Resource Hub. This initiative leverages extensive reports that compile data on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), covering topics like surveys, hate crime tracking, law enforcement, and public records. The aim is to provide insight into the alarming increase in hate incidents. Additionally, the Hub will feature a searchable national resource directory and services that are culturally competent and available in various Asian languages.
The website is currently live and offers translations in Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese, making it accessible to the public at no cost at asianresourcehub.org.
Connie Chung Joe, Executive Director of AJSOCAL, underscored the significance of this resource, stating that it allows individuals to deeply engage with the experiences of Asian Americans in the face of rising hate through interactive and compelling data. She pointed to the shared trauma the community has endured in recent years, referencing tragic events like the Atlanta spa shooting and the Indianapolis FedEx shooting. “We can’t wait for the next tragedy to take action,” she stressed.
The Asian American Resource Hub is designed to highlight the discrimination and hate faced by Asian Americans with two key goals: to create an interactive and engaging experience that deepens users’ understanding of these issues, and to provide a searchable national directory in languages spoken by the AAPI community. This innovative platform consolidates data from various national public and nonprofit organizations to effectively address anti-Asian incidents and their repercussions.
The creators have made these datasets more accessible by employing a “scrolling narrative” format, allowing users to visually connect with graphs, images, and reports on anti-Asian hate as they scroll through the content. This approach not only illustrates how discrimination affects the community but also helps readers recognize its root causes, providing an engaging and visually rich storytelling experience.
John C. Yang, President of Asian American Advancing Justice, highlighted the hub’s powerful storytelling potential. It features an ever-growing database of AAPI organizations nationwide that offer culturally competent and linguistically appropriate services, often at little or no cost.
Navigating the directory is user-friendly; individuals can easily scroll through it to quickly gain an understanding of the resources available. Currently, the hub lists about 100 vetted organizations ready to provide a variety of free services in multiple Asian languages, ensuring that the resource center remains comprehensive and up-to-date.
