To our Nonprofit Community, Members, and Partners,

The Staff and Board of the Nonprofit Staten Island is united against racism, hatred, and violence. Our commitment to building the strength of our nonprofit communities and leaders is as strong as our commitment to peace, equality, and justice. We grieve the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and the countless other Black lives lost at the hands of law enforcement.

“By love, I mean that condition in the human spirit so profound it encourages us to develop courage and build bridges, and then to trust those bridges and cross the bridges in attempts to reach other human beings.”

-Maya Angelou

Racism & Social Justice in our Communities

We know that many of our staff and communities are hurting, mourning, fearful, sad, overwhelmed, and angry. While we are still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, one in which Black and Latinx individuals are twice as likely to die, we acknowledge that racism is one of the biggest public health disasters that we face. Our members are in the business of meeting the needs of our diverse communities, operating as safe havens for our vulnerable, creating programs to promote equity and inclusion, tending to the physical, spiritual, emotional and mental health of our neighbors, and advocating for access and services on behalf of all Staten Islanders. For many of them, it has not been business as usual.

Though we may be struggling to find words and ways to express the despair at the structural racism that continues to afflict us at both local and national levels, we will continue to be agents of hope and care and change. We commit to doing our part to engender conversations that expose injustices, to craft a more inclusive and equitable borough free from discrimination and harm, and to lift up efforts toward dismantling the systems and structures that enable violence and oppression. We hold with utmost regard the values of compassion, empathy, and human connection, of diversity, equity and inclusion. We believe better is possible when we work together.

We honor the courage of those using peaceful means to make their voices heard and advocating for transformative change. We too have the opportunity to use the power and potential of our network to amplify these voices. At this moment, we can listen, learn, seek understanding, provide support, speak out. We can do “what we can from where we are with what we have” to create meaningful changes toward dignity, justice, and equity for all. We all have a role. And we are committed to working together in community with our partners toward this collective goal.

Let’s continue loving our community and taking care of each other,

Your Nonprofit Staten Island Board & Staff

The Nonprofit Staten Island condemns the recent killings of Asian Americans in Atlanta and the continuing attacks on members of our Asian and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities in New York and throughout the country. While acts of violence increase, we stand in solidarity with our fellow organizations, leaders, and communities working to understand and heal from these senseless acts. We commit to work with our partners to support efforts to raise awareness and share facts, and to end the hatred and fear fueling the violence. Scapegoating and the model minority myth can no longer be allowed to hide or silence the reality of trauma and bigotry our AAPI friends and neighbors face.

As crises continue to challenge so many through this pandemic, we acknowledge the invaluable strength of our communities working collectively to build safe, just, and healthy spaces for all to thrive. This means prioritizing the needs of communities that lack access to healthcare, legal, employment and other social services and resources and addressing the root causes of systemic violence, hate and discrimination that impact all vulnerable communities, including Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities.

Supporting our Asian & Asian American Communities

“Unless we know ourselves and our history, and other people and their history, there is really no way that we can really have a positive kind of interaction where there is real understanding.”

We Support our Asian Community

We Support our Asian & Asian American Communities

1) Peace Vigil for Victims of Asian Hate

March 19, 2021 at 6 PM in Union Square, NYC

Join Asian American Federation for a Peace Vigil for Victims of Asian Hate to honor the victims of the Atlanta shootings, recognize the countless lives that have been impacted by anti-Asian violence, and make a call to action for elected leaders and all New Yorkers to ensure greater safety and accountability for vulnerable Asian Americans.

2) AAPI Rally Against Hate NYC

March 21, 2021 at 1 PM at Columbus Park in Chinatown, Manhattan

Unite and empower the community with conscious conversations, guest speakers, live music and supporting local businesses by eating at your favorite restaurants before and after the event to send a message to local politicians that anti-Asian hate is an immediate issue; share knowledge and tips for staying safe and reporting crimes; make talking about this a comfortable experience; and spread positive energy through music.

3) Black & Asian Solidarity Rally and Run NYC

March 21, 2021 at 10 AM at Union Square, NYC

Join a 5K run, walk, bike through lower Manhattan as we come together to focus on critical community building between Black, Brown and Asian people. The rally will also feature special guest speakers who are on the front lines helping to raise awareness against anti-Asian and anti-Black racism. All are welcome! In the midst of rising xenophobia and anti-Asian racism, old wounds have resurfaced between the two communities. In an effort to combat reactionary nationalism and rebuild cross-cultural allegiance we must push to identify our common struggles and have an open dialogue around the history of our tensions and how to move forward together.

4) National Day of Action to Speak Out Against AAPI Hate

March 26, 2021. More details to come.

In the meantime, you can sign on to this statement by Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta and NAACP-GA, A Community-Centered Response to Violence against Asian American Communities as an organization or as an individual.

Additional ways to support and learn more:

Check out this presentation which provides history, context and resources: A Conversation About the Rise of In Asian Hate Crimes

Review the Statement from the Asian American Leaders Table on COVID-19 Racism

Donate to groups on the ground in your own communities that organize and support Asian Americans — see the AAPIP resource directory for more info

Tweet using #StopAsianHate

Sign on to this letter A Community-Centered Response to Violence against Asian American Communities

If you experience or witness anti-Asian violence or harassment, report it to the Stop AAPI Hate Reporting Center, and to the New York Attorney General’s Office through their hotline at 1-800-771-7755 or email civil.rights@ag.ny.gov

Click here for a 3/23 training or here for a 3/29 training on How to Respond to anti-Asian/American Harassment. The one-hour, interactive Bystander Intervention to stop anti-Asian/American and xenophobic harassment will teach you Hollaback!’s 5Ds of bystander intervention methodology and how to prioritize your own safety while intervening. Session will also cover the types of disrespect that Asians and Asian Americans are facing right now — from microaggressions to violence — using a tool called the “spectrum of disrespect.” You’ll learn what to look for and the positive impact that bystander intervention has on individuals and communities.

Let us continue building bridges and caring for one another,

Your Nonprofit Staten Island Board & Staff