Facing Asian American Discrimination with Resolve

An interview with the founders of LAAUNCH (Leading Asian Americans to Unite for Change), an organization on the front lines in the fight for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Photo credit: Eric Chen on Pexels

KEY POINTS

• Discrimination and violence against Asian Americans is on the rise, with a 164 percent jump in hate crimes.
• Recent politics and pandemic-related attributions have polarized anti-Asian sentiment.
• Most people cannot think of Asian role models, and if they do, the majority think only of famous film stars.
• Many people do not realize that Asian-American racism is a problem.

An interview with Ming Chen and Norman Chen, co founders of LAAUNCH — Leading Asian Americans to Unite for Change.

I recently had the pleasure of learning about the important work of former schoolmates from growing up in the 70s and 80s on the East Coast. At the time, I was aware of discrimination against Asian Americans and others, especially as I learned in Jewish religious school to mistrust authoritarianism and fight against hatred.

At the time, I was aware that discrimination against Asian Americans — which…