[Libs-Or] Violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

Mon Mar 22 08:43:12 PDT 2021

Dear library community,
I'm reaching out in response to the escalation of hate crimes and violence toward Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders during this past year and the murder of eight individuals in Georgia last week, six of whom were Asian women. The State Library condemns racism, xenophobia, and discrimination in all forms including attacks against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Governor Brown has ordered all flags at Oregon public institutions<https://www.oregon.gov/newsroom/Pages/NewsDetail.aspx?newsid=54374> to be flown at half-staff until sunset, March 22, 2021, to honor and remember the victims of the shooting in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area.

Libraries do critical work in creating and delivering inclusive and welcoming spaces and services, as well as engaging in purposeful efforts to serve communities that are currently and historically being targeted, oppressed, and marginalized. Libraries are anchor institutions and centers in their communities, and the positive impact you have on individuals and communities is significant.

The following resources may be of interest and of value:

  *   Statewide Hate Crimes and Bias Incidents Response Hotline<https://www.doj.state.or.us/oregon-department-of-justice/bias-crimes/about-the-law/>: This is a confidential hotline designed to document bias and be a point of support for folks who experience hate or bias in Oregon.
     *   Report bias and receive support at 1-844-924-BIAS (2427), 9am-5pm PST Monday-Friday, with an after-hours voicemail.
     *   There is also a 24/7 online reporting process<https://justice.oregon.gov/CrimeReporting/BiasCrime>.
     *   Data on reports made to the hotline is available on their data dashboard page<https://www.doj.state.or.us/oregon-department-of-justice/bias-crimes/hotline-data/>.

As library workers, you may experience, observe, or hear about hate crimes and bias incidents and this resource may be helpful to you or to your patrons.

  *   Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA)'s 2021 COVID-19 anti-xenophobia and anti-racist information resources<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VlC77_qkK6ZobuftYqgMsO3CvSjI9k2X0N3g2PIdWME/edit?usp=sharing> and COVID-19 Anti-Asian Racism Resources for K-12<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-JpBQZAPpewoDIe_akV0DADWMTIP0fwPxpNrExMZeNg/edit#heading=h.es54ctvxwn66>. Their Statement Against Anti-Asian Violence<https://www.apalaweb.org/apala-statement-against-anti-asian-violence/> may also be of interest.
  *   Bystander intervention to stop anti-Asian/American and xenophobic harassment<https://www.ihollaback.org/bystanderintervention/>: This is a free training developed by Hollaback! <https://ihollaback.org>  in partnership with Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC<https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/>. They also offer related training on a regular basis.
  *   Stop AAPI Hate<https://stopaapihate.org/>, which was founded by a consortium of three California-based groups - the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council<http://www.asianpacificpolicyandplanningcouncil.org/> (A3PCON), Chinese for Affirmative Action<https://caasf.org/> (CAA), and the Asian American Studies Department at the San Francisco State University<https://aas.sfsu.edu/> (AAS) - and tracks, reports, and responds to incidents throughout the United States.
  *   Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon<https://www.apano.org/> (APANO): Leading Asian and Pacific Islander grassroots advocacy organization in Oregon with information and resources available that may be of interest.
  *   Asian Mental Health Collective<https://www.asianmhc.org/about-us/#vision-and-mission">: Non-profit organization focused on providing mental health resources and support.

  *   Portland Racial Equity Lines for Life<https://www.linesforlife.org/racial-equity-support-line/>: The Racial Equity Support Line is a service led and staffed by people with lived experience of racism, offering support to those who are feeling the emotional impacts of racist violence and microaggressions, as well as the emotional impacts of immigration struggles and other cross-cultural issues.
  *   State Library of Oregon's EDI Learning Resources LibGuide<https://libguides.osl.state.or.us/conted/edi>: Includes the EDI Antiracism Toolkit<https://www.oregon.gov/Library/libraries/Documents/OLA%20EDI%20Toolkit/OLA_TOOLKIT_Digital_Copy%202021_02_11.pdf> developed by the OLA EDI and Antiracism Special Committee, upcoming events, archived webinars, self-paced learning, and other resources on a variety of equity, diversity, and inclusion topics.

The State Library reaffirms our commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism practices<https://www.oregon.gov/library/operations/Pages/Mission-Values.aspx> and recognizes and applauds the efforts of local libraries throughout Oregon to fight inequity and racism through inclusive spaces, free and open access to resources, programs, services, outreach activities, diverse collections, policies, and hiring practices.

In appreciation,

Jennifer

Jennifer Patterson (she/her/hers)
State Librarian
State Library of Oregon
jennifer.l.patterson at slo.oregon.gov<mailto:jennifer.l.patterson at slo.oregon.gov>
Office: 503-378-4367 | Cell: 971-375-2713
www.oregon.gov/library<http://www.oregon.gov/library>
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[Title: State Library of Oregon]

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