We are excited to share Conversations with Margarita!
Margarita Alegría, PhD, is Chief of the Disparities Research Unit within the Mongan Institute at Mass General. Her research is focused on testing new models of care and interventions for improving health care and eliminating health care disparities for diverse populations.
Dr. Alegría recently started a monthly email series, and we loved it so much we wanted to share each month’s email on Bench Press. If you want to receive Dr. Alegría’s monthly email, be sure to sign up!
I call this newsletter a conversation because I believe that dialogues, even when they’re hard to have, are important. I want to let you know up front that this month’s topic is a tough one: We’re talking about the rise in violence and racism toward the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community and what we can do to move forward.
Disparities Research Unit
Mongan Institute
Harry G. Lehnert, Jr. and Lucille F. Cyr Lehnert Endowed MGH Research Institute Chair
Mass General Research Institute
Professor of Psychiatry
Harvard Medical School[/ultimate_heading]
There’s a dangerous myth that the AAPI community—which is made up of 43 ethnic groups— is a monolith. More than 22 million people of AAPI descent live in the United States, all with their own cultures, experiences and aspirations.
Unfortunately, data released this year show that nearly 3,800 hate incidents against members of the AAPI community took place from March 2020 to March 2021. This does not include the devastating Atlanta spa shootings.
We cannot forget that these statistics represent individual people like you and me. In studies done around the world, the evidence shows that experiences of discrimination negatively affect one’s physical and mental health. The effects of these experiences don’t go away—they are not something that one can “shake off.” They become ingrained in our psyches.
To learn more, I look to the work of my colleague Gilbert Gee, who studies issues of racism, health, and the AAPI community at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. In a recent interview he said of hate crimes that, “There’s this presumption that it’s a bad apple, a bad apple having ‘a bad day.’ We should consider that maybe there’s rot throughout the entire system, and that means we need to change things structurally as well.”
He’s right: A hate crime is not an isolated incident—it is rooted in systemic racism. Sadly, false and negative narratives about the AAPI community are ingrained in our society. They can motivate hateful, sometimes deadly, acts by individuals or lead to discrimination in our systems—medical, education, justice.
We need to overhaul our systems to stop these acts and protect our health. Last spring, Gilbert shared some thoughts on what we all can do to combat hate and racism that still ring true today:
- Using accurate terms such as COVID-19, not racially charged language. This can extend beyond the pandemic—stick with the facts and don’t perpetuate stereotypes in how you speak.
- Calling upon organizations that run social media platforms to do a better job of monitoring hate speech to stop it from spreading. We cannot give racist speech and ideas any opportunity to spread. We must stop them in their tracks.
- Taking a really deep dive into our fundamental beliefs that racial groups are biologically different. We are all human and are much more alike than we might think.
We cannot accept racism and hate in any form as a “norm.” We must support each other to create a more just America. I stand in solidarity with the AAPI community and I hope that you do, too.
Cariños,
Margarita
Spotlight
Connecting with Boston’s Elderly Asian Community Despite COVID-19’s Challenges
Like many organizations, the Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center had to get creative when COVID-19 began. The center offers a network of culturally and linguistically appropriate programs and services to Asian elders in Boston to help them maintain their independence and wellness at home. As social distancing became the norm, the center shifted their programs to be virtual, providing counseling support to seniors experiencing depression from the pandemic isolation and setting up virtual senior centers, outreach sites, and a wellness clinic.
Critical safety and wellness checks also needed to look a little different during quarantine. Since last March, the center has been calling their approximately 4,000 members on a daily basis to ensure they are safe at home with adequate food and services. As restrictions have lifted, the center has moved to a hybrid model, conducting limited capacity in-person programs and home visits in addition to their virtual programming. I was inspired by the Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center’s work before COVID-19, and the creative ways they’ve kept their community connected during the pandemic inspires me more than ever before.
What I'm Reading
On patrol: Stopping anti-Asian violence one street at a time (NBC News)
Grassroots organizers Asians with Attitudes have been inspired by other movements, like Black Civil Rights activists, to create change—they patrol communities to protect business owners, host rallies, and raise awareness on social media about challenges the AAPI community faces.
Learn more about the work of Asians with Attitudes in Oakland, Calif.
Asian Americans Out Loud (HuffPost)
I’m inspired by the community leaders and artists highlighted in this series of essays, discussing topics from mental health challenges in the AAPI community to the AAPI disability rights movement.
3 ways to be a better ally to your AAPI coworkers and the greater community (Fast Company)
For those of us outside of the AAPI community, our allyship is an important part of stopping anti-Asian hate, and there’s always room for us to grow and become better allies. Miriam Warren, the Chief Diversity Officer at Yelp, shares some ways we can do that.
Take Action
Watch…
This powerful PSA outlining the 150 years of racism and discrimination the AAPI community has experienced in the U.S.
Listen…
To my colleague Gilbert Gee discuss how the term “Chinese virus” has impacted anti-AAPI racism and xenophobia on the American Journal of Public Health podcast.
Explore…
These podcasts from AAPI creators who cover culture, current events, the arts, and more.
About the Mass General Research Institute
Massachusetts General Hospital is home to the largest hospital-based research program in the United States. Our researchers work side-by-side with physicians to develop innovative new ways to diagnose, treat and prevent disease.
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