Media Contact:
Krystle Canare
krystle.canare@fylpro.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 18, 2020
FYLPRO Joins Second Annual AAPI Day Against Bullying and Hate
On May 18, 2020, cities, elected officials, influencers and community groups are commemorating the second annual Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Day Against Bullying and Hate, led by anti-bullying nonprofit Act To Change. The Filipino Young Leaders Program is committed to ending bullying and hate in the AAPI community and is proud to join this movement.
“FYLPRO is devoted to standing alongside our fellow AAPI organizations to work towards ending racism and xenophobia directed at Asian Americans, especially during these turbulent times,” said FYLPRO President Joshua Ang Price. “We hope that this special day dedicated to combating bullying and hate will serve as a reminder that Asian Americans are important members of American society — we are your friends, coworkers, and neighbors — and we contribute much to our local communities as well as nationally through our talents and culture. To anyone who has been affected by bullying: Please stand strong, never forget your value, and be boldly proud of who you are.”
AAPI Day Against Bullying and Hate is part of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and marks the birthday of Vincent Chin. In 1982, Chin was falsely blamed for the layoffs in the auto industry, and brutally murdered in a hate crime. His murder fueled a national Asian American movement, one that must continue today, in light of the rising xenophobia and hate crimes surrounding COVID-19.
Sadly, our society continues to ostracize people who are of AAPI descent. Every day, kids of all ages suffer from being bullied online and in schools across the country. In the AAPI community, this problem is often compounded by cultural, religious, and linguistic barriers that can keep these youth from seeking and receiving help. And certain AAPI groups – including South Asian, Muslim, Sikh, Micronesian, LGBT, immigrant, and limited English proficient youth – are more likely to be the targets of bullying.
According to AAPI Data, 46% of Filipino Americans identified bullying in schools as a “very serious” problem. And according to statistics compiled by the federal government’s AAPI Bullying Prevention Task Force, bullied students were 5 to 6 times more likely to miss school than those who were not bullied.
We believe it’s crucial that we continue to advance conversations about bullying and hate in the AAPI community, especially as it is exacerbated by COVID-19. People of Asian descent are being blamed for the virus and targeted in verbal and physical attacks. There have been over 1,900 cases of anti-Asian discrimination reported since the beginning of the pandemic. We publicly denounce all bullying and hate against the AAPI community, and stand in solidarity with Act To Change to encourage the public to foster dialogue, share resources, and end bullying and hate.
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About the Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO)
The Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization of high-performing, next-generation leaders that have a passion for advancing the Philippines and the Filipino people.
FYLPRO was established in 2012 by the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC in cooperation with the Ayala Foundation Inc. (AFI) to annually identify outstanding young professionals in the Filipino communities across the United States and provide the delegates with invaluable community, business, and government insights and access to distinguished network captains of industry and government.