In WAMFT's commitment to support our MFT community in breaking patterns of oppression, inequity and racism on all individuals in marginalized communities we have made a statement to stand with our Asian American Communities. 

The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) issued a Statement about Rise in Hate Crimes Against Asian Americans where you can also access more resources for combating racism and anti-Asian racism specifically.

WAMFT President, Jennifer Sampson shares an update on the work the WAMFT Board is doing to improve our focus and organization to fight against racism and racist policies to create systemic change in our MFT profession and in the state of Washington.

 Stop AAPI Hate tracks and responds to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning, and child bullying against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

WAMFT Board of Directors with WAMFT Ethics, Training and Standards Committee compiled a list of anti-racism resources in 2020.

James Arthur Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an American novelist, playwright, essayist, poet, and activist.  Several of his works are renowned as MUST READS.  "The Fire Next Time" is a great place to start as it is short yet powerful.

Ilsa Govan (co-founder of Cultures Connecting) explains reasons why any organization that truly wants to create a diverse and welcoming environment should get as comfortable cultivating White people as allies to People of Color as we are men as allies to women.

WAMFT hosted a networking event July 2020 including a panel discussion with Alanah Dillard, LMFT, Tanisha Medina, LMHC, Anthony Pennant, LMFT, and Jack Stell, LMFT.

Teacher and diversity trainer Jane Elliott (janeelliot.com) talks about her "Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes Exercise," the construct of race and what everyone can do in the fight against racism on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon.

The City of Alexandria, Virginia has a growing list of resources related to coping with racism and trauma on individual, interpersonal/family, community and national/global levels. The resources are collected and maintained by the Department of Community and Human Services Racial Equity Core Team and Alexandria’s trauma-informed community network, Resilience Alexandria: Inform. Support. Elevate. (RAISE).

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John McWhorter wrote an article titled "The Dehumanizing Condescension of White Fragilty: The popular book aims to combat racism but talks down to Black people".

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project has compiled several resources to help immigrants understand their rights when interacting with various law enforcement officials and officers.

Loveland Foundation is committed to showing up for communities of color in unique and powerful ways, with a particular focus on Black women and girls. Our resources and initiatives are collaborative and they prioritize opportunity, access, validation, and healing. We are becoming the ones we’ve been waiting for.

Most people assume that racism grows from a perception of human difference: the fact of race gives rise to the practice of racism. Sociologist Karen E. Fields and historian Barbara J. Fields argue otherwise: the practice of racism produces the illusion of race, through what they call "racecraft." And this phenomenon is intimately entwined with other forms of inequality in American life. So pervasive are the devices of racecraft in American history, economic doctrine, politics, and everyday thinking that the presence of racecraft itself goes unnoticed.

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The Asian Counseling and Referral Service promotes social justice and the well-being and empowerment of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other underserved communities -- including immigrants, refugees, and American-born -- by developing, providing, and advocating for innovative, effective and efficient community-based multilingual and multicultural services.

WA State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs is a state agency with an advisory board of 12 commissioners who are appointed by the governor to be a voice for Washington's diverse Asian Pacific American communities.

A powerful true story about the Equal Justice Initiative, the people we represent, and the importance of confronting injustice, Just Mercy is a bestselling book by Bryan Stevenson that has been adapted into a feature film.

AAMFT has gathered an extensive reading list of racial justice resources for MFTs.

Astrik Price, LMFT (AAMFT/WAMFT Clinical Fellow) prepared a resources list for a panel discussion on Racial Trauma in America (June 2020).

Multicultural Counselors serves an array of ethnic clients needing counseling and therapy from providers who understand the specific needs of people of color and various cultures. These licensed therapists and counselors have a variety of backgrounds, experiences, ethnicities and language skills needed to assist many ethnicities in Washington including Asian communities.

Education (FREE at time of post) through a trauma and body-psychology lens by Resmaa Menakem, MSW, LICSW, SEP, (resmaa.com) author of My Grandmother’s Hands.

Steven D Kniffley Jr., PsyD, MPA, ABPP offers a recording of a Racial Trauma Therapy Overview Webinar free on his website (at time of post).  Dr. Kniffley offers certification in the Kniffley Racial Trauma Therapy model.

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If not utilized in your academic program, consider purchasing this text as it addresses the need for socially responsible couple, marriage, and family therapy that infuses diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout theory & clinical practice.

ISBN-13: 978-1138678217

NAMI Gives Statement on Recent Racist Incidents and Offers Mental Health Resources

SURJ (showingupforracialjustice.org) created a toolkit on how to call people in about "violence" and why it's important right now.

Ijemo Oluo (www.ijeomaoluo.com) discusses why it's so hard to talk about race and why we must do it anyway.

Robin DiAngelo, PhD (robindiangelo.com) reads from her book at the Seattle Public Library.

Karen G. Martínez, MD, MSc, and

Jessica Graham-LoPresti present webinar focused on the negative impact of racism on mental health symptoms for people of color.

Structuring enough-Safety & fostering fierce brave & compassionate conversations by & for Black People. Black counsellor & educator Sacha Médiné and Black activist facilitator & educator Parker Johnson with white settler activist/therapist educator Vikki Reynolds. (There are resources listed in the description on YouTube.)

Image by Artist:

Matthew Echohawk-Hayashi

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King County Office of Equity and Social Justice (OESJ) is proud to support the newly formed Coalition Against Hate & Bias (the Coalition). The Coalition is a community-led initiative to address hate and bias incidents by strengthening and networking communities who experience racist and bigoted treatment and all forms of oppression. The Coalition Partners are also the administrators of the Hate and Bias Incident Response Survey to collect data from communities affected by hate and bias.

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University of Connecticut developed a semi-structured interview offered in both English and Spanish. Because it is an interview, it can facilitate the conversation between the client and clinician regarding the client’s experiences with racism.

The Therapy for Black Girls Podcast is a weekly chat about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice’s mission is to advance civil and human rights for Asian Americans and to build and promote a fair and equitable society for all.

WAMFT President, Jennifer Sampson shared a message from the Board of Directors in support of Black Lives Matter movement at the 2020 Annual Meeting on Friday June 12th.