LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The UCLA Asian American Studies Center and a coalition combating hate against Asian American Pacific Islander communities have received $1.4 million in state funding to address the impact of COVID-19 on those communities, including new research and analysis into hate incidents, the university announced today.
“COVID-19 has had devastating and disparate impacts on many Asian American and Pacific Islander communities alongside other communities of color,'' said Karen Umemoto, holder of the Helen and Morgan Chu Endowed Director's Chair of the Asian American Studies Center. “With this funding, we can produce research to help with more targeted recovery efforts in the hardest-hit communities. It will also critically support our www.TranslateCOVID.org website, as we work to get important fact-based vaccine and other life-saving information to non-English speakers.''
The funds will also go toward the Stop Asian American Pacific Islander Hate website, which was set up to gather incidents of and respond to racial discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders sparked by the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement released by UCLA, the Stop AAPI Hate coalition said it is “absolutely critical to invest in tracking the number of hate incidents against Asian Americans that are taking place.
“Documenting and analyzing the attacks -- both in California and across the country -- has enabled us to draw attention to this crisis, ensure that our community is not ignored, and advocate on its behalf,'' the coalition said, noting that the funding will help to “proactively address future incidents from occurring.''
The funding will also allow the Asian American Studies Center to continue its commitment to research into subjects including housing and employment, building off previous work from a variety of affiliated faculty including UCLA urban planning scholar Paul Ong, who has examined how the pandemic has impacted Asian-owned businesses, homeowners and renters, according to the university.
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