Please join me for the eighth episode in the Conversations with Alan series in The Locher Room for an in-depth discussion about Asian / Pacific American Heritage Month and the rise of violence, xenophobia and bigotry against the Asian / Pacific community resulting from the COVID19 pandemic. Joining me for this conversation are well known actors Jose Llana and BD Wong.

Both of these talented men are outspoken about the rise of violence aimed at the Asian / Pacific community and are staunch supporters of the Stop AAPI Hate campaign. In March, Stop AAPI Hate released a report examining incidents that took place over roughly a year during the coronavirus pandemic. It revealed that the number of incidents reported surged from 3,795 to 6,603. Verbal harassment made up the vast majority of reports at 65 percent. Shunning, defined as the “deliberate avoidance of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders,” was the second most common form of discrimination at 18 percent, while physical assault comprised the third largest category at 13 percent.

I hope you’ll join BD, Jose and I for this important conversation about a topic very close to all our hearts. We must come together as one to understand the varying experiences other people go through. Let us open our eyes and our hearts to other people of varying races and religions.

Original Airdate: 5/26/2021