5 Tips to Support Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Colleagues in Your Organization

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month and we are taking this opportunity to share a compilation of best practices to support AAPI colleagues in your organization. Please see the list below to learn how to address bias, racism, and stereotypes, along with a few ideas for support.

Learn about the common stereotypes and biases that impact Asian Americans and the harm those assumptions can cause when unjustly assumed.

Food for Thought: What are you doing in your day-to-day interactions to re-think stereotypes about Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders? How can you speak up when others perpetuate these stereotypes?
Resource: UT Austin Model Minority Stereotype

Address racism related to COVID-19 head-on by leading education in your organization about the rising discrimination against the AAPI community during the pandemic.

Food for Thought: Why does coping with difficulty sometimes lead to placing blame on others?
Resource: Illness and Racism: Responding to Anti-Asian Racism during the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic

Sponsor and amplify AAPI voices in your organization by advocating for the underrepresented, listening better, and looking for ways to extend and diversify your immediate network.

Food for Thought: In what ways can you advocate and uplift AAPI colleagues without requiring them to teach you?
Resource: How Can We Be Better Allies?

Use tools designed to create a space for crucial conversations that promote empathy and provide structure to discuss and learn from diverse experiences.

Food for Thought: What tools, methods, or resources can you use to frame conversation that support employees in their efforts to empathize with others?
Resource: Empathy During Covid-19: Addressing Racism Through Restorative Dialogue

Reflect, act with intent, and practice.

Food for Thought: How are you and your employees building your cultural fluency skillset to drive productivity, innovation, and employee morale?
Resource: 3 Ways to Improve Cultural Fluency

UT Austin Student Organization/On-Campus Resource:

The Asian Desi Pacific Islander American Collective (ADPAC) is an organization that strives to serve, educate, empower and represent the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American community at the university. ADPAC regularly promotes UT Asian American identity through leadership workshops, co-sponsorship, and student activism.

Company/Nonprofit Spotlight:

The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is a nonprofit that utilizes a productive justice framework to support AAPI women and girls, address policy and drive systemic change in the United States. Check out NAPAWF online for more information on their fight for equality, justice, and support!