How to talk about Asian American gender-based violence

When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out early last year, Asian Americans shared the nation’s concerns over the impact on their physical health. But they also carried a mental health burden, as they were blamed for COVID-19 and saw an escalation in hate crimes and hateful rhetoric linked to the pandemic. Asian Americans have been harassed, assaulted and killed. Even as the nation reopens, anti-Asian hate remains part of the new normal.
The Atlanta spa shooting in March was a high-profile incident that shed light on another struggle with which Asian Americans have been invisibly grappling: gender-based violence.
On May 19 at 6 p.m., Ada Tseng, assistant editor of the L.A. Times utility team, and reporter Agnes Constante will speak to mental health experts and community organizers about Asian American gender-based violence.
The panelists:
- Anjali Alimchandani, PhD, MPP psychologist in private practice, advisory board member of the National Queer and Transgender Therapists of Color Network
- Lian Cheun, executive director of Khmer Girls in Action
- Manjusha Kulkarni, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and executive director of Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council
- Lacy Lew Nguyen Wright, activist and Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network Speakers Bureau member
The webinar is co-hosted by the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism, Viet Rainbow of Orange County and the Cambodian Family. It’s a follow-up to the virtual forum and TimesOC series “Improving Healthcare Access for Cambodians and Vietnamese,” supported by the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism 2020 California Fellowship.
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