​Dear AAPI Friends, Family & Community,  

As a coalition of community groups and organizers who believe in and work towards creating a  more inclusive society for people of all races, abilities, and backgrounds by tackling and  confronting issues of racial discrimination and discrimination against people with differing  abilities - Welcoming Community Movement (WCM) partners are passionate advocates for  justice.  
On behalf of the Welcoming Community Movement, we want to say that we stand with you in  your pain and outrage regarding the murders and hate crime against Asian Americans in  Atlanta and across the nation. As a collective group, we remain committed to work together  to strengthen Georgia communities and to prevent the type of harm and discrimination that  we see much too often. This letter serves as our formal acknowledgement that we stand in  solidarity with you. 
For AAPI allies, such as ourselves, below are some resources taken from the website “Stop  APPI Hate” for those interested in learning how to support the AAPI community during this time: 

Safety Tips for Those Experiencing or Witnessing Hate 
​
Five Things to Consider When Experiencing Hate 
  1. Safety First: Trust your instincts and assess your surroundings. If you feel unsafe and you are  able to, leave the area. 
  2. Stay Calm: Take a deep breath, limit eye-contact, and maintain neutral body language. 3. Speak Out (If you can do so safely): In a calm and firm voice establish physical boundaries,  and denounce their behavior and comments. 
  3. Seek Immediate Support: Ask bystanders for support or intervention. 
  4. Seek Emotional Support: Once you feel safe, take time to recover and reach out to someone  to talk about what happened. Remember this is not your fault, and you are not alone.
Five Ways to Help If You Witness Hate 
  1. Take Action: Approach the targeted person, introduce yourself, and offer support. 2. Actively Listen: Ask before taking any actions and respect the targeted person’s wishes.  Monitor the situation if needed. 
  2. Ignore Attacker: Using your discretion, attempt to calm the situation by using your voice, body  language, or distractions. 
  3. Accompany: If the situation escalates, invite the targeted person to join you in leaving. 5. Offer Emotional Support: Help the targeted person by asking how they’re feeling. Assist them  in figuring out what they want to do next. 
Services for Victims: 
  •  Report an Incident online: STOP AAPI HATE - REPORT INCIDENT 
  •  Victim-based compensation: Funds available to assist those who have directly or indirectly been  impacted by violence https://cjcc.georgia.gov/grants/grant-subject-areas/voca
​Additional Resources: 
  • 2021 Report of these attacks by Stop AAPI Hate: 210312-Stop-AAPI-Hate-National-Report-.pdf (secureservercdn.net) 
  • Microsoft Word - FACT SHEET- Anti-Asian Hate 2020 (csusb.edu) 
  • Anti-racism resources to support Asian American, Pacific Islander community (nbcnews.com) ● Lydia X. Z. Brown: https://autistichoya.net/bio/ 
  • Mia Mingus: https://leavingevidence.wordpress.com/about-2/ 
  • https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/about/ 
  • National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Hate Crimes Task Force and Pro Bono  Legal Resources - https://www.napaba.org/page/HateCrimeResources 
  • Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta and Georgia NAACP posted a ‘Community Centered  Response to Violence Against Asian American Communities’ that individuals and organizations  can sign onto: https://www.advancingjustice-atlanta.org/aaajcommunitystatement
  • Free bystander trainings: https://www.ihollaback.org/bystanderintervention/ 
We stand in support of the AAPI community and against the racist and xenophobic hate  crimes that have occurred recently. 
Mixed Greens 
Compassionate Atlanta
The SEMANCO Team
TMT Collaborative Global Ubuntu 
Inspire Positivity 
New Neighbors Network
ConnectAbility 
Peacebuilders Camp 
Mattie J.T. Stepanek Foundation Abilities Discovered 
Georgia Research Environmental Economic  Network, Inc. 
Filling in the GAPS
This letter was written collaboratively by Jessica Mathis, grassroots disability and community organizer in  Savannah Georgia (Mixed Greens), and Mario Burton, DEI consultant (SEMANCO Team)