April 2, 2021 (WASHINGTON, DC) - The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) is developing a dedicated Hate Crimes Task Force in response to the rise in attacks on Asian Americans.

The Hate Crimes Task force will be dedicated to identifying any and all resources to ensure the safety and well-being of our community members. The Task Force will be in charge of duties including, but not limited to, responding to hate crime reports, assisting hate crime victims on the ground, building coalitions with other action groups, and other duties that will benefit the Filipino/Filipino American community.

Current projects of the Task Force include organizing virtual rallies, recruiting additional media partners, building coalitions with other organizations such as the NAACP, building a network of task forces across the country to serve more local areas, increasing our digital resources, and collecting funding to create a Defense Fund for hate crime victims.

Although the Task Force is still growing, several current and former leaders of NaFFAA have stepped up to join the Task Force team. Chris Rivera, who is the National Operations Officer and Northeast Region Chair for NaFFAA will lead the team which includes the notable New York attorney and community advocate Lara Gregory. Former NaFFAA leader Ben Menor from San Jose has “come out of retirement” for this special cause. Jannelle So-Perkins, host of California-based SoJannelleTV (which airs on The Filipino Channel), and Makilala TV of Metro New York have offered to support this work as well. Finally, Katrina Hernandez of Nevada, NaFFAA National Co-Director of Special Projects, and Phil Smith, the NaFFAA Indiana State Chair, have also been tapped to join the group.

“Action has been long overdue. Our community is facing violence in so many different forms, and we cannot afford to wait for a change in the political atmosphere. People are suffering right now, which is why the Hate Crimes Task Force is such a critical initiative. Our people are in need of resources and support,” comments Brendan Flores, National Chairman of NaFFAA, “and we want to be there for them if these attacks persist.”

The Task Force is just one development among other actions that NaFFAA is taking in response to these attacks. Throughout April and May, NaFFAA will be hosting a series of events including:

• Mental Health Panel “It’s Okay Not to Be Okay” - April 23rd, 8PM ET
• Hollaback! Bystander Training with Tagalog translation - To be announced

Dates may still change, so please follow us at Facebook.com/NaFFAA.National or on Instagram for the latest updates. For more information or inquiries on how to contribute to the Task Force and/or the upcoming events, please contact info@naffaa.org or visit www.NaFFAA.org.