April 13, 2020 to April 17, 2020
It’s true that no one is exempt from this pandemic, but what does it mean to be in this together? Yes, listen first; but then move to combine information and the experience of communities to practice being in it together. At CAAL, we’ve held space for community, facilitated conversations and strategy sessions, listened to and co-created solutions, and we’re now investing in getting through this together.
I shared previously that in a crisis we should assume that those who were already marginalized would become even more so; that’s exactly what we are hearing from our community members and organizations. In a survey we conducted with Asian Minnesotan organizations, who are the institutions with cultural and language assets, and relationship and trust in communities, 41% indicated that relief and aid has been poor in terms of reaching their community members. Of particular concern is the fact that much of the help is not reaching the most vulnerable Asian Minnesotans who are: limited English, undocumented or have mixed status family members, low-income, large multi-generational households, limited in technology literacy and access, owners of micro businesses, and young people (under 24) or elderly (over 65). Sure, translations help, but without intentional navigation support, it’s unlikely that a low-income worker with limited English will be able to even complete an unemployment application without someone walking them through the process in language. The same is true when it comes to parents who have limited technology literacy who are now expected to support their children at home in this new e-learning environment. So, who’s filling in the gap?
Community leaders, and community led organizations are stepping up, but even they have little capacity to access funding. Though many funders have simplified their COVID-19 related applications, it hasn’t necessarily meant that groups can even respond. So, the mutual aid and mutual assistance that many Asian Minnesotan ethnic groups have relied upon has become even more important. We’ve been convening over 20 organizations and a multitude of leaders for the last several weeks, so we’ve seen the community heros/heroines. They are working hard and at times around the clock; we are not just thanking them, we are investing in them too.
At CAAL, we know that we are only as strong as our community is. That’s why we had announced earlier that our Spark Leadership Fund would was open to all BIPOC leaders. We have also since launched our Stronger Together Fund, which will support Asian Minnesotan organizations, who are providing services to the most vulnerable community members at this time. We believe that if we get through this and only a handful of community led organizations are still around, we will not have the muscles that we need to recover.
We are also building a collaborative to combat xenophobia and racism because it’s not enough to just condemn racist and xenophobic acts. It will take community response, solidarity building and policy change to build stronger communities where every person is safe and their contributions welcomed. While we are sheltered-at-home we must proactively do all that we can to make sure that school, work and community environments are prepared to deal with bias, discrimination and hate. Lastly, we had hoped to host the first ever Asian Minnesotan conference late this year, but have instead decided to launched a State of Asian Minnesotan Series to provide data and information, stories and community narratives, and timely topics so that leaders and institutions have what they need to understand, support, and include this community as we continue to respond and recover from this pandemic.
Please be in touch, and if you want to practice getting through this together let our team know.
Sincerely,
Bo Thao-Urabe
Executive & Network Director
Our collaborative of Asian Minnesotan organizations actively advocated and were glad to see that the State of Minnesota launched a Discrimination Helpline. If you have experienced or witnessed discrimination, please complete the online form, or call 651-539-1133 | 1-800-657-3704. Interpreting services are available.
State of Minnesota COVID-19 Updates
Governor Walz has extended the Stay at Home order till May 4, 2020. The State also launched a new State of Minnesota COVID-19 dashboard that tracks the virus and provides the latest available data on a daily basis that includes information on available ventilators, ICU beds, personal protective equipment (PPE), testing, and more. Also visit the Minnesota Department of Health’s website for the most accurate, up-to-date information. The Minnesota House of Representatives also has a dedicated COVID-19 section with information and links to resources.
Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Resources
The City of Minneapolis’s Gap Funding has assembled new gap funds to support renters, families and businesses. The deadline is noon on April 20, 2020. Small businesses can apply for forgivable, no-interest loans in fixed amounts of $5,000 or $10,000, depending on need resulting from the COVID-19 emergency.
The Saint Paul Bridge Fund will provide $1,000 in direct assistance to families for rent or mortgage payments and $7,500 grants to small businesses for immediate business expenses. Applications are open now through April 19, 2020.
COMMUNITY VOICE
“I am in tears every time families tell me that they don’t have access to WiFi. I am crying because I see that even before the COVID-19 outbreak, we were putting more and more demands on students to navigate the internet. More and more of our teaching and learning tools are through systems like Schoology, Youtube and SeeSaw, which require access to the internet; yet many families can’t even get online. I believe, strongly, that access to WiFi is a civil rights issue…And even though we may supply paper and pencil versions of things online, we can’t say that’s enough or fair. If anything, acts like these take us back to the separate but equal practices of the South during segregation. We all know those practices didn’t result in equality.”
-Sambath Ouk, Faribault Public Schools
Our love is louder than their hate.
Almost 600 people registered for our Countering Xenophobia and Anti-Asian Discrimination During COVID-19 webinar. Dr. Erika Lee, Commissioner Rebecca Lucero, and Bo Thao-Urabe shared powerful frameworks, historical context, and tangible resources for participants. If you missed the webinar, you can watch the recording here!
We took all precautions, yet we were still zoom bombed with hatred during the session. We know that for those who’ve experience racism and hate before, it was retraumatizing. We hold you all in our hearts. We want to express our gratitude for the show of solidarity and community strength during the incident. As we move to virtual platforms, we are challenged with how to keep our spaces safe but accessible. We will do all we can to never let ourselves be silenced. Thank you for demonstrating that our love is greater than their hate.