Originally published at about.kaiserpermanente.org. Kaiser Permanente is a Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Hall of Fame company.
To counter the surge in discrimination against Asian Americans, Kaiser Permanente has joined with Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC) to establish the Stop Anti-Asian Hate and Violence Initiative. The initiative supports 3 strategies: community education, mobilization, and coalition-building; direct services, mental health, and organizational sustainability; and advocacy and organizational leadership.
Kaiser Permanente and Advancing Justice — AAJC, a national nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., that advocates for the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and underserved allied communities, worked together to select a diverse set of 33 community-based organizations working in communities Kaiser Permanente serves. A $3.6 million grant, to be distributed through Kaiser Permanente’s fund at the East Bay Community Foundation, plus national and local expertise provided by Advancing Justice — AAJC, will support the work of Asian American and Pacific Islander community-serving organizations in meeting needs by expanding services.
“This past year’s disturbing increase in hostility, discrimination, and violence toward Asian Americans spurred us to further hone our strategy for community support,” said Stephanie Ledesma, interim senior vice president of community health programs at Kaiser Permanente. “This initiative is intended to help prevent further racist acts, provide interventions when they occur, and promote healing in communities that have been discriminated against.”
Organizations and projects funded by the collaboration were identified by Kaiser Permanente’s community health teams as well as members of the Kaiser Permanente Asian Pacific Islander Association, an internal business resource group dedicated to workforce engagement, improvement of inclusive culture, identification and advancement of diverse leadership, and community volunteerism.
