At Neighborhood Funders Group, our hearts are heavy and our rage is mighty after learning about the murder of eight people — including six Asian American women — in separate incidents in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday night. These hate crimes follow a rise of violence targeting Asian American Pacific Islander communities — especially elders, women, and people who are already marginalized — which have been documented in this newly released report from Stop AAPI Hate that tracks 3,795 incidents of the hate against AAPI communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We cannot ignore the legacy of white supremacy, deep entanglement of racism and gender-based violence, the role of Asian immigrant labor within racial capitalism, or how historical and contemporary US imperialism around the world is connected to these hate crimes against AAPI communities.
We at NFG are in solidarity with our friends at Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) and Native Americans in Philanthropy (NAP), who co-authored As Violence Against Asian Americans Intensifies, the Moment for Philanthropy to Act Is Now, a Letter to the Editor for the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Philanthropy has the power and resources to act now and fund the boldest movements for racial, gender, economic, and climate justice. We echo AAPIP and NAP’s call to philanthropy that it is time “to do a lot more to curb the rising violence and hatred by using the power of its voice and its grant dollars.” AAPIP developed this Supporting API Communities Resource Directory to mobilize the philanthropic sector towards meaningful action in the midst of heightened violence and hate targeting Asian American communities.
NFG urges philanthropy to be more accountable to AAPI, Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities and low-income communities:
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Fund power building and organizing efforts led by AAPI, Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities; low wage workers; sex workers; immigrants; queer and trans people; women; people who have been incarcerated and criminalized; and rural communities.
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Support efforts to defund the police as policing and carceral approaches are not solutions to anti-Asian hate and violence. Divest from criminalization and invest in communities (see this tool developed by Funders for Justice).
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Make funding more accessible by shedding onerous grantmaking practices and trusting grassroots leaders to use grant funds as they see fit for the health of their movements and communities.
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Continue interrupting the practices of white supremacy that show up in philanthropy and our daily lives.
NFG is here to support grantmakers as you remain vigilant and do the work to resource power building led by AAPI, Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities at the level that is necessary for all of us to thrive. You’re invited to join us on Wednesday, March 24 for our next Member Connection Call at 9:30am PT / 12:30pm ET, where we will be holding space for our members to be in community with each other.
In solidarity,
The NFG Team