As we prepare to celebrate another Lunar New Year, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC honors the Asian American family in all its various forms, from our elders down to the youngest, who will help make this Lunar New Year special. Our elders are on our minds especially now as we have seen senseless violent attacks from the west coast to the east coast perpetrated against our Asian American senior population. The attacks are yet another reminder of a year in which Asian Americans have spent the pandemic being concerned that another attack is right around the corner.
Advancing Justice | AAJC is taking action now. We have been outspoken on this issue for a full year and will continue to speak out until the attacks on Asian Americans stop. We will continue with bystander trainings as long as thousands of you continue to attend the sessions. We are proud to have trained more than 16,000 people thus far. We are providing resources on our website to provide support for our community, and to respond to this moment.
It is at a time like this where we need the love of family and friends – whether near or far – to uplift us and celebrate the Year of the Ox. The traits of the ox push us to not falter in the face of a challenge and to remember that we can get through anything with patience, positivity, and trust. This means trust in our community members who are speaking out against this violence and trust in the support from allied communities who refuse to let these incidents divide us.
Many in our communities will take to online platforms to celebrate Lunar New Year with our loved ones and check in on the safety and well-being of our family members. It is a sight all too familiar since the pandemic began but a vital resource to keep us connected to our family and friends. Broadband connection has been especially important for our elders, who can only connect with family and friends virtually because of the heightened COVID risks they face. While physically apart, many of us have continued to care for our elderly family members through our online connections.
Sadly, there are those in our community who lack broadband access to enjoy Lunar New Year virtually. It is the lack of high-speed internet service that dramatically affects their ability to fulfill basic needs for connection to family, education, or health and serves to further isolate those for whom the pandemic has limited personal interaction. The FCC estimates 18 million Americans lack access to broadband while a research firm, BroadbandNow Research, estimates that 42 million Americans “do not have access to wired or fixed wireless broadband.”
At a time when we want nothing more than to rejoice virtually in the new year with our loved ones, the scale of the digital divide is exponential. Digital divide indicators – including education, income level, and English proficiency – suggest that significant broadband gaps exist among ethnic groups that make up our community. For example, 53.6% of Burmese Americans have less than a high school diploma. In the context of the ongoing pandemic, a lack of high-speed internet service is detrimental.
Americans on the wrong side of the digital divide are falling behind in school, struggling to work from home and connect with family across the country or around the world. They are unable to connect with healthcare providers at this critical time. The pandemic has demonstrated how essential internet connections are; even after the pandemic subsides, the importance of having adequate broadband will only grow more relevant as the lifestyle, communication, and work changes created by remote life will persist.
Through our Technology, Telecommunications, and Media Diversity program, we are actively working to engage in new research that will shed light on the true nature of broadband access issues in the Asian American community so we can begin an in-depth dialogue on real solutions to the problem. Expanding broadband access and increasing digital literacy will deliver essential services and keep our most vulnerable members like our elders connected during a time where we need each other most.
Join us in our endeavor to connect each other with our loved ones for the many Lunar New Year and other celebrations to come. Please consider making a donation today so that we can keep our loved ones and all families connected.
With every good wish,
John C. Yang
President and Executive Director
P.S. Please consider automated monthly contributions to help us sustain our impact to our communities. You will be acknowledged as a “Sustainer” by becoming a monthly donor. Visit our donate page at www.advancingjustice-aajc.org. You can also contact [email protected]. Our 501(c)3 tax ID# is 13-3619000.
