Twilions Come Together in Response to Asian & Pacific Islander Harassment

Twilions Come Together in Response to Asian & Pacific Islander Harassment

Here in the USA, Twilio recognizes Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a series of events that honor the historical achievements and cultural differences of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) and their impact on American history.

The idea for the observance started when Jeanie Jew, a Capitol Hill staffer, approached Congressman Frank Horton after noticing that the US Bicentennial celebrations of 1976 lacked any substantive recognition given to Asian Pacific Americans. A year later, Asian Pacific Heritage Week was introduced, and, in 1990, a bill was passed by Congress to extend the week to a month. By 1992, May was officially designated as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

May holds significance for the AAPI community. In May 1843, Japanese immigrants arrived in the US. Twenty years later, also in May, the transcontinental railroad was opened, a project that would have been impossible without over 20,000 Chinese workers.

A history of harassment

Often seen by society at large as one monolith, nuanced and culturally diverse groups are typically (and carelessly) lumped together as “Asians.” Sadly, the US has not always treated the broader Asian community—or its smaller subcultures—as equals.  

In the late 1800s, the Chinese Exclusion Act was introduced to restrict US immigration, as many Americans attributed declining wages to Chinese workers. This limited Chinese citizenship for over 60 years. Then during World War II, American internment camps detained Japanese immigrants. And later, in 2001, Asian Muslims and perceived Muslims were discriminated against after the attacks of 9/11.

Today, violence against Asian Americans is once again spiking, with much anti-Asian sentiment stemming from coronavirus misconceptions. The organization Stop AAPI Hate reported 3,795 incidents from March 2020 to February 2021, and that's only a fraction of the number of hate incidents that actually occur.

Taking action at Twilio

For these reasons, two Employee Resource Groups — Asians@Twilio and Twilipinos — partnered with Hollaback!, a civic & social organization with a mission to end all forms of harassment. Together they co-hosted a training session entitled Bystander Intervention to Stop Anti-Asian American and Xenophobic Harassment.

Julie Ea, who works in product marketing at Twilio and is an Asians at Twilio co-chair, cited the shootings in Atlanta, the stabbings in San Francisco, and increased visibility into discrimination against Asians and Pacific Islanders as catalysts for the training.

"We were feeling the same feelings of helplessness and wondering what more we could do," she said. "The Bystander Intervention training was a way to engage not only our community members but also our allies at Twilio and equip them with tools they can use if they see harassment happening."

The training classifies types of harassment towards Asian and Asian American communities — from microaggressions to full-on violence — by using a lens they call the "spectrum of disrespect." This runs the gamut from disparaging assumptions and racist jokes to the kinds of events revealed on the news and social media with more frequency, like harassers telling Asian people to "go back where you came from" or mocking Asian languages and accents. The spectrum also includes bullying, online harassment, anti-Asian-American graffiti and memes, and sexual or physical assault.

Strategies for bystander intervention

After reviewing the pervasive types of disrespect, the training proposes different methods to support someone being harassed, emphasize that harassment is not acceptable, and demonstrate to others that they too have the power to make communities and workplaces safer.

These strategies for bystander intervention also teach participants how to prioritize their safety while intervening. Hollaback! calls them the "5 D's" and defines them as follows:

1. Distract: Take an indirect approach to de-escalate a situation.
2. Delegate: Ask somebody nearby for help in intervening.
3. Document: Give any video made to the victim to decide next steps. Never post online without permission.
4. Delay: When the dust settles, check-in with the target to make sure they're feeling safe.
5. Direct: If you feel safe, speak up about the harassment. Be firm and clear.

Participant reaction

Upon reflection, Julie Ea feels the training did a great job of giving a high-level overview of the history of Asian & Pacific Islander discrimination in America and also provided very clear tactics of how to intervene. "I appreciated that the trainer stressed your own safety as a bystander," she said, "but also emphasized focusing on the person being harassed."

It was encouraging that over 130 Twilions joined the training. Hollaback surveyed all participants and reported that 100% of respondents felt more equipped to intervene if they witnessed harassment of this kind.

One of those attending was Aaron Lim, a senior growth analyst at Twilio's San Francisco headquarters. "Going into the training, I didn't have a strategy or plan for if I ever witnessed an attack," admits Lim. "However, I left the training feeling much more prepared after learning about the 5 D's, whether I was a bystander or as a victim. I highly recommend everyone participate in this training if they have the opportunity."

Riley West, a Twilio producer working out of Austin, Texas, also joined the training and agreed with Lim. "The training did a good job in providing different tactics so that you have a few options on how to intervene safely," recalls West. "I also found the interactivity of the workshop helpful in starting to think through how you might approach different scenarios."

Everyone can do something

Recent anti-Asian hate crimes and violence have made it more critical than ever to stand in solidarity with the AAPI community and show up for one another as active bystanders. As Hollaback! mentions on their website, research indicates that even a knowing glance can significantly reduce trauma for the targeted person. One of the most important things we can do is to let the victim know, in some way, however big or small, that they are not alone.

Twilio is committed to providing continued support for our AAPI Twilions. During Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Twilio is intentional about celebrating and learning from the diverse AAPI community's lived experiences and stories through a host of events, fireside chats, and activations. We're pleased that the month began with such a good turnout for this necessary training.

Check out: Asians at Twilio discuss the term Model Minority.

Read more about our commitment to being an anti-racist organization

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