Stand with Asian Americans launches a new Workplace Justice Initiative equipping Asian Americans with an expansive suite of resources to respond and recover.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Today, responding to a groundswell of stories and data about Asian Americans navigating significant levels of workplace discrimination, Stand with Asian Americans (SwAA) launched an innovative Workplace Justice Initiative for Asian Americans to share their experiences with workplace discrimination, access legal counsel and connect to mental health and community support. A recent survey SwAA conducted in partnership with Blind, focusing on the tech industry, found shocking evidence that major barriers exist for Asian employees to report their experiences, with 64% stating they had confronted racial discrimination at the workplace — but only a quarter of whom had reported the incident(s), let alone took legal action. SwAA’s new initiative aims to address these unacceptable patterns with new public visibility and long-needed, holistic forms of support.
Justin Zhu, co-founder of Stand with Asian Americans, said, “I personally know how painful it can be to experience workplace discrimination. That’s why this movement that we’re building is so important. As more brave people speak out, employers can no longer get away with how they treat Asian American employees. By providing our community with resources and connecting them with others who can support them, we are steps closer to fighting injustice in our workplaces — and to building a stronger, fairer society for everyone.”
Anti-Asian discrimination in the workplace is prevalent, underreported and misunderstood. It can inflict deep psychological pain and trauma, undermining self-worth and belonging and leaving individuals to feel isolated, powerless and devalued. Despite these deeply negative long-term effects, fear of retaliation and a belief that nothing would change were among the most common reasons Asian employees did not report their experience of discrimination, according to SwAA’s survey. Additionally, the survey revealed that only a quarter of Asian Americans feel included in DEI initiatives and less than a third are aware of their workplace rights.
Surveys from Pew Research Center in November 2023 found that 90% of Asian Americans have personally experienced at least one of the 17 discrimination incidents listed in their survey. Discrimination is especially pervasive in the workplace. In 2021, Stop AAPI Hate found that 31.5% of Asian Americans and 26.4% of Pacific Islanders reported that they experienced a hate incident at work. Specifically in technology workplaces, according to the Ascend Foundation in 2015, Asians are the largest racial cohort, but least likely to become managers and executives — with Asian women least likely of all.
Vaishnavi J., a former employee at Meta, shared, “I was overwhelmed by the amount of support that I received when my experience of workplace discrimination first became public. I received an influx of private messages from high-performing Asian professionals who shared their similar experiences of workplace discrimination. Most of them still face formidable blocks to coming forward with their stories. I felt incredibly supported and seen by the response, but it was a sober reminder that racism is embedded in workplaces all over the country. SwAA’s Workplace Justice Initiative paves a solid path for us to fight that fight together in a protected environment for Asian Americans.”
Michelle Lee, legal counsel at SwAA, said, “This is just the beginning. Asian Americans are the foundation of workforces in multiple industries at various income levels. And while each of these areas confront their own unique challenges, the commonality is that community support is absolutely essential — for each individual and for this movement to fight injustice everywhere it still exists.”
SwAA is equipping Asian Americans navigating workplace discrimination by addressing the whole person. This includes connecting people who report with mental health resources, legal counsel, monthly community support group meetings and public relations resources. Moreover, by gathering and identifying patterns in workplace discrimination reports, SwAA will continue to advocate for policies that most effectively increase equity for Asian Americans, such as advancing the cause of Asian American employee resource groups within companies, expanding sector-specific services and language access, and pushing back against local and state laws that infringe on employee rights.
If you think you have experienced any form of anti-Asian discrimination at work, or know someone who has, please visit https://justice.standwithasianamericans.com.
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Stand with Asian Americans is the largest coalition of Asian American entrepreneurs, investors, business leaders and activists that are united in our mission to drive justice and equity for all. Anyone can get involved to use their ingenuity and talent to galvanize the next generation of Asian American activism. Please visit https://standwithasianamericans.com/ to learn more.
