COVID-19

Standing As One With the Asian American Community

Asian Pacific Fund, Comcast NBC Universal, NBC Bay Area & Telemundo 48 launch Solidarity Fund to stand up to hate against Asian Americans.

While the devastating impact of COVID-19 has taken its toll on all communities, Asian Americans have been hit particularly hard as the pandemic has mutated into a virus of hate, harassment and violence. In response to the most recent attacks against the elderly, Comcast, NBC Bay Area, Telemundo 48 and the Asian Pacific Fund have launched a Solidarity Fund with an initial investment of $100,000.

To contribute to the Solidarity Fund or explore other ways to get involved, please click here.

The fund will provide grants to organizations working to address the persistent anti-Asian sentiment, including supporting the physical and mental health of survivors, ensuring the safety of seniors, and advocating for racial justice across racial lines.

The Asian community has been targeted since the start of the pandemic and cases have exploded in the Bay Area and beyond:

  • Nearly 3,000 incidents of Asians being harassed, spit on and stabbed were reported nationwide last year, including over 700 in the Bay Area.
  • According to New York Magazine, over the course of the pandemic, racist and violent attacks on the Asian community have increased by 1,900 percent.
  • In the span of just one week in February 2021, four Asian seniors were killed or severely injured by violent attacks, three of whom live in the Bay Area.

The Asian Pacific Fund has been tracking the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Asian and Pacific Islander community through its 80+ nonprofit affiliates that provide an array of services to those at risk. Anti-Asian sentiment is only one of the many challenges faced by the community. Asians and Pacific Islanders have had higher rates of fatality, higher rates of unemployment and high rates of closure for Asian American small businesses. In the past year, the Asian Pacific Fund mobilized more than $1.27M for nonprofits’ COVID-19 response efforts.

Contact Us