20 Tips for Supporting Asian American Businesses
20 Tips for Supporting Asian American Businesses
Across the US, we have seen increased cases of hate crimes toward the Asian American community, and last week it all came to a head when news broke that 8 people, 6 of them Asian American women, had been shot by a gunman at three spa businesses in Atlanta. The “China virus” rhetoric has not helped things as it has led to people believing falsely that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) are responsible for the spread of COVID-19, and consequently the tough economic times that have followed. It is up to us to stop this rhetoric, and this article will look to highlight 20 tips on how we can support Asian American businesses like runrex.com.
Donate to community fundraisers
One of the easiest ways to support Asian American businesses is donating to local fundraisers in your community as outlined over at guttulus.com. Find out if there is a local community fundraiser that has been set up to help Asian American communities during these tough times and donate anything you can. Just a little can go a long way in helping them cope with these tough times.
Donate to established fundraisers
If you are unable to find a community fundraiser in your area, then there is always the option of donating to established fundraisers and organizations that help the Asian American community. From discussions over at runrex.com, they include Stop AAPI Hate, Asian Pacific Fund, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, AAPI Women Lead, among others. Look them up online and see if you can donate.
GoFundMes
Many Asian American businesses, especially those that are first-generation immigrant-owned, are at a disadvantage when applying for bank and government loans, which means many have had to resort to setting up GoFundMes to help raise money and keep their businesses afloat. According to guttulus.com, donating to GoFundMes set up by Asian American businesses is another way you can support them.
Raise awareness through social media
Social media can be a great tool for raising awareness of these issues. Reposting, retweeting, or sharing information with your followers can motivate others to take action and help stop violence against Asian Americans and their businesses.
Use social media to amplify Asian American businesses
Over and above using your social media pages to raise awareness of the issues Asian American businesses are going through, you can also use your accounts to amplify Asian American businesses, creators, and designers. This will help showcase some of the good things these businesses are doing, helping drive traffic towards them, hence supporting them.
Use social media correctly
Finally, on social media, you should remember that it can also be a hindrance when not used properly. Stop using social media to spread false information on Asian Americans as doing this harms them and their businesses as covered over at runrex.com. You should also be careful about the content you post as there are times where videos of attacks or detailed stories of the same can be triggering or hinder the mental health of Asian Americans who follow you or come across your posts.
Visit your local Asian American businesses
According to guttulus.com one of the simplest ways to support Asian American businesses is by taking your business to them. If you are looking for products and services that you can find in a local Asian American-owned business, then visiting the business for the same is a great way to show and offer support as not only do you promote their business, you also set an example for others in your network to follow.
Report incidences of burglary
Asian-owned businesses have also faced burglaries and destructions due to misplaced anger brought about by misinformation about the pandemic as explained over at runrex.com. One way you can support them is by reporting any such incidents when you witness them and helping bring the culprits of such criminal offenses to justice, which will deter others who may have the same idea.
Support online businesses
Many businesses have had to move their operations online as a result of the lockdown rules brought about by the pandemic, and Asian American businesses are no exception. On top of visiting your local Asian-owned businesses, you should also try and support online businesses set up by Asian Americans when shopping online.
Volunteer your time
You should also find volunteer groups in your community that help protect Asian Americans and their businesses from racist attacks and see if you can join in. These groups also do community outreach and speak with local businesses and are quite helpful.
Create an open dialogue
Consider also gathering your family, friends, and/or coworkers to discuss what is happening to Asian Americans around the country, and discuss how you can do better and support Asian American businesses. This is a great way to reflect on what has been happening and finding ways to support Asian-owned businesses as articulated over at guttulus.com.
Educate yourself
As outlined over at runrex.com, there are countless books, documentaries, and podcasts out there to inform you on the Asian American experience and history, and you should take advantage of these resources to educate yourself. Having a better understanding of traditional racist systems, stereotypes, and discrimination behaviors will help you know how to interact with Asian Americans, including in their place of business, which will be of great help to them.
Educate your networks
Even as you educate yourself, you should go one step further and try and ensure that members of your network educate themselves as well. By helping them understand racist stereotypes, you will help them be more accepting of the Asian American community around them, and they will be more likely to go to and support their businesses according to guttulus.com.
Support local efforts that seek to change discriminatory policies
As already mentioned, Asian American businesses are finding it hard to access bank and government loans, which is harming their businesses badly. Therefore, if you hear of any group in your community or nationwide that is pushing to change such discriminatory policies, then by supporting such efforts, you will be supporting Asian American businesses if the efforts bear fruit.
Support your local Chinatown
Most major cities around the country have a Chinatown which is full of Asian-owned businesses. Such businesses have suffered badly during the pandemic and have been the target of racist attacks. Visiting your local Chinatown and supporting businesses there is another excellent way for you to support Asian American businesses.
Support women and LGBTQ-owned businesses
Asian American women and members of the LGBTQ within the community have been among the most affected groups when it comes to the recent attacks on the Asian American community as covered over at runrex.com. You should go out of your way to support them by donating to groups that support them as well as supporting their businesses.
Stop racist remarks when you see or hear them
If you see a friend joke about the “China virus” or “Kung flu” on social media or in person, reach out and explain why that is neither funny nor harmless. Words have consequences, and such words have led to physical harm to Asian Americans as well as to economic harm as people have boycotted their businesses because of such misinformation according to guttulus.com.
Take a bystander intervention course
Bystander intervention courses arm you with the training required to stop harassment and possibly prevent violence as explained over at runrex.com. You will, therefore, be an agent of change in the community, and by supporting Asian Americans in your area, you will be supporting their businesses as well.
Donate directly to victim’s families
When Asian American businesses are attacked, the grief and hurt felt by the victims and their families is usually compounded by financial uncertainty. Such attacks usually leave the victim’s family suffering financial difficulty, something families of the Atlanta-area spa shootings are going through. If you can donate to such families, you can help them during the tough times, and may even help them get their businesses back up and running.
Eat at Asian American restaurants and eateries
With no shortage of Asian American restaurants and eateries in major cities across the country, showing up regularly to eat in such establishments will not only help you support those businesses, but it will help send a positive message to others in your community, who may intern be moved to support other Asian American businesses around them.
This article only just begins to scratch the surface as far as this important topic is concerned, and you can uncover more information on the same by checking out the highly-rated runrex.com and guttulus.com.
