Ascend Talk: Shedding Light in Times of Darkness: Amplifying Our Voices through Storytelling
Presented by Ascend Impact Fund
When it comes to shedding light on important issues, storytelling can truly make a difference. Dion Lim, Emmy Award-winning TV news anchor, reporter at ABC7/KGO-TV in San Francisco, and author of Make Your Moment; The Savvy Woman’s Communication Playbook to Getting The Success You Want, will share her reflections and experiences on themes including her professional journey as the first Asian American woman to lead a weekday newscast in three cities, her trailblazing coverage of the hate and assaults targeting Asian Americans in the Bay Area throughout the pandemic, and her views on the importance of de-stigmatizing mental health for the AAPI community.
Ascend has had the honor of hosting Dion at numerous programs including our recent Global#AscendTogether Forum to #StopAsianHate: Hate Knows No Boundaries & Combating it Takes Steadfast Leadership.
Related: #AscendTogether Podcast Inaugural Episode: Combating Anti-Asian Violence & Elevating AAPI Voices
Speaker: Dion Lim
#Ascend Together Forum: Mental Health Impacts of When We Don’t Belong - Our API Stories & Journey to Destigmatizing Mental Health | ERG Showcases: Supporting API Mental Health Presented by Merck’s Asia Pacific Association (APA) | #StopAAPIHate Presented by Presented by Liberty Mutual’s Leading & Empowering Asian and Ally Professionals (LEAAP)
Presented by Ascend Impact Fund
While the COVID-19 global pandemic gave rise to anti-Asian hate crimes, we must not forget that the APIs have been discriminated against and have been the victims of unprovoked violence long before the pandemic. This reality is evident as demonstrated in the Ascend Foundation’s thought leadership paper entitled "Model Minority Myth & The Doubled-Edged Sword," and numerous Global #AscendTogether Forums to #StopAsianHate, where members from all walks of life shared their lived experiences of being marginalized, scapegoated and feeling like they don’t belong in the workplace and the society. These experiences have far reaching implications on API physical health and—equally important—mental health. We will explore the impact of stoicism, the model minority myth and "perpetual foreigner" on API mental health. We will discuss the intersectionality of race, ethnicity, gender, identity and mental health, and impart practical solutions for empowering the APIs to find and amplify their voices, and how we can work together to fight the stigma and create a culture of inclusiveness and belonging for APIs by destigmatizing mental health matters.
Host: Michelle Meow
Panelists: Randall Chin | Clayton McClintock | Snigdha Sur
ERG Showcase: Supporting API Mental Health
Presented by Merck's Asia Pacific Association (APA)
It's time to take care of our mental health - together. The trauma of encountering racism during the pandemic, loss of loved ones due to covid, or taking on the care-giver role can impact mental health of employees, and unresolved fears and anxieties impact on how you show up at work and at home. In this showcase, we will learn about how Merck's Asia Pacific Association ERG supports their employees to overcome cultural barriers in order to improve self-care and take control over one's well being. You will hear strategies that were implemented to create a psychological safe space for Merck employees, and key takeaways from their experiences in addressing the mental well-being of the APA community members.
Presenter: Radhika Balasubramani
ERG Showcase: #STOPAAPIHate
Presented by Liberty Mutual’s Leading & Empowering Asian and Ally Professionals (LEAAP)
Since the onset of COVID-19, the Pan-Asian community has been the target of intensified hate and bias. Tragically, recent attacks this year are the latest example of continued racial injustice in our country targeting this community. Liberty Mutual and LEAAP acknowledge these feelings and commit to being an organization that does not tolerate hate of any kind. To create a proactive, continuous and action-oriented conversation in addressing anti-Asian hate, LEAAP@Liberty developed a roadmap with the key goals of addressing invisibility, offering an open, empathetic space for sharing and listening to one another, and instituting a call to action for allies and managers.
Presenters: Boni Wen | Niladri Sannigrahi