At a recent anti-hate community workshop in the San Gabriel Valley, around 200 Asian American elders learned basic self-defense moves and breathing techniques to calm the nervous system. Organizers of the event, held in late summer at the Langley Senior Citizen Center in Monterey Park, said it was meant to empower the community, in hopes of keeping them safe against both physical and verbal attacks.
Attendees of the workshop, hosted by non-profits Compassion in SGV and Through Peace, were given safety kits and personal alarms. They connected with leaders, law enforcement and multilingual resources for reporting hate.
“The dynamic has definitely changed in the United States, in terms of how Asians — and our seniors — are being targeted,” said Kevin Leung, head instructor with the Siu Lum Pai Kung Fu Association, who led the self-defense training. “People need to understand how to defend themselves and to keep themselves safe.”
Though reported anti-Asian hate crimes surged drastically with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders continues to rise nationwide, even in “post-pandemic” times. A new report found that nearly half of all AAPIs nationwide have experienced discrimination based on race or ethnicity — yet only 1 in 5 reported it.
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