Healing Fractured Communities: Coming to Terms with Systemic Trauma | Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), American Psychological Association, Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation

Register | Contact: mweisbly@jacl.org

While the U.S. has made public health strides with vaccinations on the rise and COVID-19 cases decreasing, the harsh reality is that anti-Asian/BIPOC violence has been increasing. It has been a year since our first discussion titled, “Lessons from the Past: Yellow Peril in COVID-19 Times,” but there is no relief in sight. A brief historical review of the anti-Asian campaigns in America that whipped up public favor for the prohibition of Chinese and Japanese immigration and the mass incarceration of people of Japanese descent during WWII brings us to where we find ourselves today. In this program,  Shirley Ann Higuchi, JD; Dr. Satsuki Ina, and Dr. Arthur Evans will discuss the links between systemic racism, cross-communal trauma and how all mental healthcare workers can make a difference today. In closing, David Inoue, Executive Director of the Japanese American Citizens League, and Maysa Akbar, Chief Diversity Officer of the American Psychological Association will reflect on the discussion and consider steps we can all take.