Although all members of our community are all feeling increased stress due to COVID-19, some members of our community are additionally fighting increased racism and bias against them. The goal of this blog post is to share your stories, provide resources for reporting and dealing with racism and bias personally, and for becoming a better ally to folks experiencing racism and bias.
We are continuing to collect anonymous stories of racism and bias during the COVID pandemic. Please feel free to use this anonymous space to share encounters that you have experienced or witnessed.
Our goal as the clinical sphere is to disseminate stories, quotes, or pieces from these submissions in our RBI communications during the COVID pandemic, to increase awareness and understanding of the additional racism and bias induced stress that some of our colleagues are experiencing during this time.
Tools for Reporting Racism and Bias
Learn more.
At Mount Sinai:
- Reporting Tools: Report racism using the mistreatment reporting form, or by calling the confidential or anonymous compliance hotline at 800-853-9212. You may also report racism and bias by speaking with your program director, department chair, or ombudsperson.
- Students: As a reminder, please find options for reporting mistreatment on your mistreatment resources ID tag.
Beyond Mount Sinai:
- NYS Attorney General Hotline: Combat Coronavirus Hate Crimes and Xenophobic Racism by reporting to the NYS Attorney General hotline. Call the Ongoing Hotline at 1-800-771-7755 or
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice Report Tool: AAAJ is a national affiliation of five leading organizations advocating for the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and other underserved communities to promote a fair and equitable society for all.
- The Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council: APCON is a coalition of community-based organizations that advocates for the rights and needs of the Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) Community in the greater Los Angeles area, with a particular focus on low income, immigrant, refugee and other disadvantaged sectors of the population.
Wellness Resources
Learn more.
At Mount Sinai:
- Staff Well-Being During COVID-19: For well-being during the COVID crisis, check out the COVID staff resources well-being page. The menu on the right side offers options for basic needs, psychosocial support, and Mental Health Treatment and Evaluations.
- Mount Sinai Calm: Mount Sinai Calm is now operating virtually. Find programming and resources for mindfulness and meditation, yoga, art sessions, and other de-stressing sessions.
- Talk About It: Attend additional, newly scheduled RBI Chats for Change to talk about COVID-specific racism and bias. Click the link to RSVP for both these and our regularly scheduled chats for change options.
Beyond Mount Sinai:
- Bridges Mental Health Counseling: If you would like assistance in finding support from a therapist in the New York City area who shares your cultural identity or is passionate and knowledgeable about your community, explore this unique directory. Under the resources tab, they also offer additional, related resources that may benefit you.
- NYS COVID-19 Emotional Support Helpline: For New York State residents who could benefit from mental health support, the NYS COVID-19 Emotional Support Helpline at 844-863-9314 is staffed 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., 7 days a week.
- NYC Well: Text, call, or chat with NYC Well for assistance with problems like stress, anxiety, depression, and more for yourself or someone you care about.
- Student-Compiled Resources: This massive directory of self-care and wellness resources has been put together by Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai students and features tabs for mental health, free workouts, de-stress activities, apps, and websites, and more.
Tools for Fighting Racism and Bias
Learn more.
Bystander Intervention: To find tools for speaking out when you witness racism/bias, check out:
- COVID-specific strategies for speaking up against racism and bias
- The Five D’s of intervention you can use to help protect folks from harassment
- Six Tips for Responding to Racist Attacks
Microaggression Response Resources: To find tools for understanding and responding to microaggressions, check out the following resources on our RBI personal learning lab:
- Killing Me Softly: A game demonstrating how it feels to suffer microaggressions and acculturative stress day after day.
- Mixed Messages: A tool for recognizing microaggressions and the messages they send.
- Interrupting Techniques: Strategies for interrupting microaggressions in the moment.
Community and Learning:
- RBI Chats for Change: RBI Chats for Change is a series of discussion sessions for exploring and learning about racism and bias; check out newly added sessions for COVID-specific racism and bias.
Donate:
- Dumplings Against Hate: Support NYC Chinatown businesses, who bear a greater burden during this economic crisis because of the associated racism.
- CACF has started a fund called RICE (Responding Immediately to the COVID-19 Emergency), which is helping member organizations to offer money directly to families in poverty that have been devastated by the crisis. Click on “Donate Now.” In the “Designation” drop-down, please select “Rice Fund.”
- Supporting Local Businesses: The next time you’re ordering a meal for delivery or going grocery shopping, consider supporting your local Asian-owned small businesses!