A Letter to Our Supporters

“We have to build things that we want to see accomplished, in life and in our country.”
– Patsy Mink, First Asian American Congresswoman

Over six years ago, Asian and Pacific Islander people across America came together in the face of hate.

When Trump and his apologists fueled anti-AAPI racism during the COVID pandemic, millions of people like you organized to protect one another, confront anti-AAPI violence, and demand the nation pay attention. Out of that moment, Stop AAPI Hate was born.

Together, alongside our allies, we reported thousands of hate acts, secured investments and protections for AAPI communities, and made it impossible for the country to ignore the racism and invisibility we have long endured. Our collective efforts fundamentally changed the world’s understanding of AAPIs and became a defining moment in the ongoing fight for America’s multiracial democracy. 

But this fight did not end with the pandemic. 

The extremist forces driving anti-AAPI hate have become more coordinated, more normalized, and more dangerous – fueled by Trump and his billionaire backers.

Across the country, Asian and Pacific Islander people are once again living in fear. ICE is racially profiling and tearing apart families. Chinese, Indian, and Muslim Americans are open targets. Fundamental protections like voting rights, due process, and birthright citizenship are being dismantled. 

And with painful familiarity, immigrants of color are being scapegoated for the economic fallout of Trump’s failed tariff policies and illegal wars – sparking attacks on H-1B visas, green cards, and other pathways AAPIs have long relied on to build lives in America.

The stakes could not be higher. 

These attacks are not random. They are part of a broader effort to turn people against one another, dim our democracy, and make America permanently hostile to immigrants and communities of color.

Yet even in this moment of fear and uncertainty, we see a growing determination to fight back. 

And it is this passion from everyday people like you that has inspired us to launch Stop AAPI Hate Action, a new political and advocacy arm that will help strengthen AAPI political power and civic engagement at the scale and speed this moment requires. 

This next chapter is about turning the collective resistance we’ve cultivated into the organized force we need.

As the fastest-growing racial group in America, AAPIs must help defeat Trump and his enablers’ hate-fueled attacks and forge a fundamentally different tomorrow rooted in justice and equality for all. 

With Stop AAPI Hate Action, we will create new pathways for everyday people like you to take action. From mobilizing and educating voters, to holding leaders accountable and organizing to keep each other safe – together, we can turn individual outrage into collective impact.

Though our efforts will be much more expansive than elections, the 2026 midterms will be a major opportunity for our communities to meet the urgency of this moment. 

The midterms will shape whether our families are protected or targeted, whether our rights are upheld or stripped away, and whether our democracy holds or erodes. In the face of Trump and his cronies’ racist, xenophobic agenda, AAPIs and our allies must mobilize together to elect leaders who will better protect our communities.

That is why Stop AAPI Hate Action is starting with a nationwide voter mobilization effort that will aim to shift the balance of power in Congress.

This effort will harness the power and network of our national movement to drive culturally-grounded outreach to AAPI voters in various languages – mobilizing them in House races where AAPI communities can make the difference.

By organizing for this November’s elections and beyond, AAPIs can help shape the future of this country.

Stop AAPI Hate’s core work – research, policy advocacy, narrative power, and survivor support – will continue and remain central to our mission. Together, Stop AAPI Hate and Stop AAPI Hate Action are part of a broader multiracial movement fighting for an America that works for everyone.

Now is the time to join us in tackling the root causes of anti-AAPI Hate.

Join us in turning individual pain into collective power. 

Join us in standing together to protect our rights and our democracy.

And join us in fighting for a future where every person can live with safety, freedom, and dignity.

In solidarity,

 

Cynthia Choi and Manjusha Kulkarni
Co-Founders 
Stop AAPI Hate and Stop AAPI Hate Action