Addressing Anti-Asian Racism with Social Work Advocacy and Action

Meirong Liu is Professor and Chair of Research Sequence at Howard University School of Social Work. Her research centers on social welfare policies, health disparities, and multicultural social work. She collaborates with interdisciplinary research teams and has secured multimillion dollars in grants on health disparities from the National Institutes of Health, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Princeton Alliance for Collaborative Research and Innovation, and the Bezos Earth Fund. Serving as the Chair of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Asian and Pacific Islander Track, she is dedicated to advancing equity and inclusion in the social work field. Keith Chan is Associate Professor of Social Work at Hunter College. His research examines social determinants of physical and mental health for vulnerable populations, in particular Asian Americans, immigrants and older adults. He currently also serves as Co-Investigator on the NIMHD/P50-funded Center for Asian Health Promotion and Equity, Community Engagement Core, as well as the NIA/P30-funded RCASIA, Community Liaison and Recruitment Core. Since 2021, he provides his research expertise as Congressional Fellow to the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Health, Democratic Staff, on issues related to mental health, substance use, disability, and population health data with a focus on health equity for under-served communities.

Section I: Deconstructing Anti-Asian Racism: Understanding History, Social Contexts, and Complexities


1. The History of Anti-Asian Racism and Violence in the United States Meirong Liu, Nayoun Lee, Zhanjie Si, and Olivia Aquino

2. Racism, Xenophobia, and Violence Against Asian Americans During the COVID-19 Pandemic Xiaofang Liu, Kam Man, Kenny Kwong, and Qingwen Xu

3. Acculturation, the Asian American Identity, and the Impact of Anti-Asian Racism on Health and Mental Health
Keith T. Chan
4. The Intersection of Racism and Marginalized Identities Among Asian Americans Jun Sung Hong, Sofie Hana Aaron, Cindy C. Sangalang, Jane J. Lee, and Joong Won Kim

5. Understanding and Dismantling the "Model Minority" Stereotype Lainey Sevillano and Kirin Macagupa

6. Asian American, Racial Solidarity, and Black Lives Matter Robert Cosby, Meirong Liu, and Keith T. Chan

Section II: Voices of Diverse Communities: Intersectionalities in the Experience of Anti-Asian Racism


7. The Perceptions of Korean Americans on the Rise of Anti-Asian Racial Discrimination and the Negative Impact on Psychological Distress Shinwoo Choi, Joo Young Hong, Catherine Hawkins, and Hyejoon Park

8. Acculturation and Cultural Socialization Practices of Japanese Immigrant and Temporary Resident Families in the United States Misa Kayama

9. Bahaghari: Visibilizing the Experiences and Resistance of LGBTQ+ Filipinx Americans in the Diaspora Dale Dagar Maglalang and Hillary Nicole Peregrina

10. Religion and Spirituality as Buffers Against Islamophobia in the Lives of Asian American Youth Altaf Husain, Hannan Hijazi, and Sarah Carlis

11. Coping at the Margins: Managing Loneliness for Hmong Older Adults Cindy Vang, Michael Sieng, and Austin Thao

12. The Impact of Anti-Asian Racism on the Psychosocial Well-Being of Older Asian Americans: A Systematic Review Fei Sun, Siyu Gao, Ethan Liu, and Yali Feng

Section III: Dismantling Anti-Asian Racism: Micro, Mezzo, and Macro-level Strategies


13. The Role of Social Work and Storytelling in Eliminating Anti-Asian Racism and Hate Crimes Sofie Hana Aaron, Juliann Li Verdugo, Jane J. Lee, Hye-Kyung Kang, Tam Q. Dinh, and Michael S. Spencer

14. Reflecting on Racism Within the Social Work Profession and Developing an Anti-Racist Workforce Kenny Kwong

15. Service Access to Depression Treatment: Mental Health Help-Seeking Sources Among Asian Americans Patrick Leung, Monit Cheung, and Carol A. Leung

16. Promising, Culturally Sensitive Evidence-Based Interventions for Asian Americans Dhrubodhi Mukherjee

17. The Importance of Community-Based Solutions in Addressing Anti-Asian Racism Clifford S. Bersamira, Sophia B. Lau, and Yeonjung Jane Lee

18. Policy Initiatives on Eliminating Anti-Asian Racism Meirong Liu, Yanfeng Xu, and Zhanjie Si

Conclusion