September 15, 2021
TIME has named Stop AAPI Hate co-founders, Cynthia Choi, Manjusha Kulkarni and Russell Jeung to the 2021 TIME100 annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
“It is a great honor to be recognized for this award among this list of influential leaders,“ said Manjusha Kulkarni, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and executive director of Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council. “This work would not be possible without the bravery and strength of our respondents and the AAPI community at large, and we want to thank them for their willingness to speak out against injustice. This award is a testament to the fact that our advocacy work is being valued, and it validates our fight against Anti-Asian hate.”
The full list and related tributes appear in the Sept. 27 / Oct. 4 issue of TIME, available on newsstands on Friday, Sept. 17, and now at time.com/time100. The list, now in its eighteenth year, recognizes the impact, innovation and achievement of the world’s most influential individuals.
In March 2020, the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON), Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), and the Asian American Studies Department of San Francisco State University launched the Stop AAPI Hate coalition in response to the alarming escalation in xenophobia and bigotry resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The coalition is renowned for being the leading aggregator of anti-Asian and anti-Pacific Islander hate acts, ensuring the AAPI community is not being ignored and advocating on its behalf by providing technical assistance, from rapid response to preventative measures and supporting restorative justice efforts.
“We hope any attention received through this incredible honor sheds light on the issues still at hand,” said Russell Jeung, Ph.D., co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University. “Since we began tracking data, the reports we receive show a sustained, devastatingly high number of racist attacks against Asian Americans. 2,478 reports were made to our center between April and June 2021, bringing the total number of incident reports to 9,081 since we started collecting data in March 2020.”
“This award encourages us that our work is far from over,” said Cynthia Choi, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action. “As anti-Asian hate acts reach an all-time high, we must continue to hold our leaders accountable and fight for more holistic solutions to combating hate in schools, workplaces and places of business. We need to invest in education, community led safety initiatives that address immediate harm and address root causes, know your rights campaigns, and legislation that reinforces human rights and civil rights protections for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.”
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