3 TPC Digest T he ongoing problem of police brutality on Black and Brown people has reignited conversations about systemic oppression and illuminated the importance of civil rights, racial coalitions, and the dismantling of White supremacy. Although Asian American and Black communities have historically been pitted against one another by White supremacist–driven narratives, Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) have a longstanding history of pursuing thick solidarity and activism alongside the Black community. Obtaining a deeper understanding of the processes through which Asian Americans begin pursuing activism alongside the Black community is of paramount importance to maintain racial coalitions, overcome anti-Black notions embedded within AAPI ethnic subgroups, and challenge systemic forms of racial oppression that impact all communities of color. We employed a grounded theory approach with 25 Asian American activists to examine the following research question: “What is the process that mobilizes Asian American activists to pursue thick solidarity with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in 2020?” Participants in the study described feeling “primed” to act because of the combined causal conditions of George Floyd’s murder and experiences of COVID-19–related anti-Asian discrimination. Participants were able to mobilize because of the contextual factors of alignment with personal and community values, awareness and knowledge, and perspectives of oppression. The phenomenon of Asian American activists mobilizing in thick solidarity with the BLM movement was additionally influenced by intervening conditions, which included affective responses, intergenerational conflict, conditioning of “privileges” afforded by White supremacy, and organized communities. Each of these conditions and factors interacted to influence non-action, performative or unhelpful action, and action toward thick solidarity. Participants explained how pursuing thick solidarity with the Black community resulted in pathways that promoted interracial and intraracial healing, led to an ongoing commitment to personal and community values as well as human rights initiatives, and created opportunities to restructure policies and redistribute power. Finally, participants identified achieving a collective oppressed identity as absolutely critical for mobilization to occur. This core category occurred as a result of George Floyd’s murder, because of experiences of COVID-19–related anti-Asian discrimination, and as a result of awareness and knowledge. Professional counselors can leverage this theoretical process to embolden AAPI clients to engage in collective social action. For example, mental health professionals can help AAPI clients recognize how achieving a collective oppressed identity and contextualizing the historical and nuanced relationship between the Asian American and Black communities are critical to forming racial coalitions and healing from racial trauma. Based on the results of this study, professional counselors and counselor educators alike are encouraged to engage in meaningful racial dialogues that help Asian Americans heal from their own racial and intergenerational trauma, support other communities of color, and navigate cultural barriers. Mental health professionals can additionally validate experiences of oppression following COVID-19–related racial trauma and help Asian American clients redirect their affective experiences to promote awareness and knowledge, challenge proximity to whiteness, and cultivate meaningful action. Stacey Diane Arañez Litam, PhD, NCC, CCMHC, LPCC-S, is an assistant professor at Cleveland State University. Christian D. Chan, PhD, NCC, is an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Correspondence may be addressed to Stacey Litam, 2121 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115, s.litam@csuohio.edu. Stacey Diane Arañez Litam, Christian D. Chan Grounded Theory of Asian American Activists for #BlackLivesMatter | TPC Digest
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