Harmful narratives, including mis- and disinformation, are one of the greatest challenges facing Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities in today’s world. They are making communities less safe and trust in the election systems weaker. It is even tearing some families apart. To make matters worse, the issue of harmful narratives is often overlooked as it pertains to AAPI spaces – leaving AAPI communities at greater risk. 

Hear from Kyle Van Fleet, Strategic Communications Associate at Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), who monitors mis- and disinformation as it pertains to AAPI communities and elections, democracy, anti-Asian hate, and other related topics, on how the problem of harmful narratives looks in and impacts AAPI communities, what is being done to confront this issue, and best practices to combat harmful narratives in your own feeds.

About the speaker:

Kyle Van Fleet (he/him/his) is the Strategic Communications Associate at APIAVote, where he leads the organization's efforts to monitor mis- and disinformation regarding democracy, elections, and harmful narratives impacting or originating from AAPI communities. Kyle also manages APIAVote's social media strategy and supports the organization's overall work on narrative change among other duties. Prior to joining APIAVote, Kyle worked as a Digital Research Associate monitoring mis- and disinformation at GQR during the 2020 election cycle. Kyle is a graduate of James Madison University and is an accomplished professional photographer.

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On 20 May 2021 President Biden signed into law a bill that was introduced by  Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., and Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, which aims “to make the reporting of hate crimes more accessible at the local and state levels by boosting public outreach and ensuring reporting resources are available online in multiple languages. It also directs the Department of Justice to designate a point person to expedite the review of hate crimes related to COVID-19 and authorizes grants to state and local governments to conduct crime-reduction programs to prevent and respond to hate crimes (NPR 20 May 2021).”

On 2 July 2021, the Stop AAPI Hate Coalition (#StopAAPIHate) released the results of their survey documenting the hundreds of resolutions and actions taken to combat anti-AAPI racism at the state level.  The report noted that of the states that have passed resolutions, over 90% go on to be enacted.  17 states have yet to take any meaningful action to combat anti-AAPI racism: Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota,West Virginia and Wyoming.

If you vote in one of these states, we urge you to contact your state and local officials and urge them to take action against racism in your community.