Our statement on the recent attacks on the AAPI community

To our community,

Amid a surge in violence toward Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities in New York and across the country, Extreme Kids & Crew stands in solidarity with the victims, survivors, and neighbors who are again experiencing the trauma and fear endemic to racism.

These heartbreaking attacks, like Tuesday night’s in Atlanta, may be spurred by xenophobic responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, but they are just the latest chapter in our country’s long history of racism and discrimination against Asian-Americans. This is a wake up call that demands we be present in the fight against white supremacy and advocate for greater allyship at home, in the workplace, and in our communities.

Since New York City shut down last March, there have been hundreds of reported incidents of violence against Asian-American New Yorkers, and 76% of Asian-Americans across the country have reported feeling worried about experiencing hate crime, harassment, or discrimination because of COVID-19. Asian-American elders, already disproportionately impacted by the virus, are particularly vulnerable to attacks.

We recognize how important it is to build community-centered support networks grounded in anti-racist practices in order to begin the process of healing. Violence against any of us is felt by all of us, and it’s our responsibility to reimagine forms of public safety that center mutualism, accountability, and restorative justice.

Here are some actions you can take to join the fight against this crisis:

• Report hate crimes where you see them. Inaccurate reporting, which can happen due to language barriers and fears over immigration status, can lead to misrepresentations of the reality of anti-Asian violence. Learn more >>

• Donate to and amplify the work of Asian-American-led community groups and legal defense funds. Learn more >>

• Educate yourself about this recent rise in violence — and America’s long history of anti-Asian violence enacted through both governmental policy and individual action.

• Participate in community-based safety tactics. For example, volunteer for SafeWalks NYC to help escort community members who feel unsafe to and from subway stations.

Places you can donate to:

Asian American Federation

National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum

Welcome to Chinatown

Red Canary Song

CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities

Butterfly (Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network)

More resources from Asian-American community groups:

Safety Tips for Those Experiencing or Witnessing Hate

Asian American Federation’s Anti-Hate Safety Resources 

MovementHub

It's on all of us to #StopAsianHate. Join us.

Sincerely,
Caitlin and The Crew

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Thanks to your wonderful support, we raised more than $12,000 in the Extreme-A-Thon! Check out a compilation of highlights from the past month as our community broke out of its shell and got creative to raise money for Extreme Kids & Crew.

Thanks to your wonderful support, we raised more than $12,000 in the Extreme-A-Thon! Check out some highlights from a month of our community at its most crea...

2020 Virtual Summer Camp SEED Impact Report

This summer, we teamed up with SEED Impact, an organization which helps nonprofits assess and strengthen their work, to evaluate our summer camp program and the impact it had on the children who participated. Being our first foray into synchronous distance learning and playing, the results were encouraging and will greatly inform our work going forward.

View the 2020 Impact Report.

Alt text: Pictured is the cover of the Summer Camp Impact Report. The cover features a young Black girl at an Extreme Kids program wearing a blue shirt with her hands waving in the air. At the top, white text on a blue background reads “Extreme Kids & Crew 2020 Virtual Summer Camp. Analysis & Report by SEED Impact.” At the bottom is the Extreme Kids & Crew logo.

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This discussion on the intersection of anti-Blackness and ableism is hosted by Extreme Kids & Crew, which cultivates welcoming, accessible spaces where kids ...

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Board President Vanessa Connelly on Being A Woman Business Leader in 2020

From Authority Magazine:

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

My work as board chair at Extreme Kids and Crew has been very exciting and rewarding. We went from having one space in a public school to three sensory gyms in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, all in fairly short order. To go from these really physical spaces to a fully virtual footprint after the pandemic closures was a massive change. As an organization that creates community for disabled kids and their people, strategizing about how to most effectively reach out online and create programming and events that interested, served and expanded these connections at such an isolating time- that has been exciting. I am so impressed with our Executive Director Caitlin Cassaro and the whole staff for not only meeting the challenge but thriving in this new world.

Read the whole interview with Vanessa.