In June, a committee of eight Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) experts met publicly on Zoom to discuss issues surrounding AAPI trauma and health. That’s when they were “Zoom bombed.”
Dr. Marcia Liu, mental health specialist with Hunter College’s AANAPISI Project (Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution Project)
The AAPI population in America is growing, as are incidents of hate. Since March 2020, when the coronavirus first appeared in China, the Stop AAPI Hate (SAH) website has tracked over 10,000 separate instances of hate speech or physical abuse. Estimates for nationwide impact show that almost 20% of AAPIs have experienced at least one hate incident since 2020. Often these moments are amplified at the intersections of religion, sexuality, colorism, and ability. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young AAPI people.
To address the rising mental health crisis, the University of Michigan (U-M), the Steve Fund and the National Center for Institutional Diversity brought those eight experts together to create a guide for institutions to better understand and support the mental health needs of their AAPI students.
Institutions must, experts say, elevate their cultural competence and the importance placed on mental health, conduct ongoing evaluation of AAPI needs as informed by experts and disaggregation of AAPI data, and provide physical spaces where AAPI students can come, feel known, and learn.
Dr. Linh An, a multilingual learner specialist for the Hunter College AANAPISI Project, said colleges can increase their cultural competence by engaging in “cultural humility."
