Raksha, Inc

Earlier this month, NAAAP Atlanta and Kimberly-Clark hosted a heartfelt donation drive and solidarity walk benefiting Raksha, , , , , and . This event was a beautiful gathering of our community and partner organizations, united in support of survivors and raising awareness of their journey towards healing and empowerment. The event also provided essential school materials to students in need.

A highlight of the day was hearing from a survivor who shared her powerful story of escaping an abusive situation 25 years ago. Her words deeply resonated with everyone present.

After a serene walk around the Kimberly-Clark lake, participants decorated motivational pencil bags with inspiring quotes for our youth. It was a meaningful morning, making a positive impact on the lives of survivors and reinforcing the importance of a supportive community.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to and for their generous donations—we are truly grateful.

Did you know that addiction, the opioid crisis, su***de, and mental health are all connected and impact the South Asian American community as well? Just 10 minutes of your time can help Raksha in identify what our community needs to know and create more effective social media content and community workshops to support South Asian youth and families in Georgia.

Calling South Asian Americans living in Georgia to take a moment to take these surveys! Save and reshare the graphic or these bitly links (Also on our Linktree page)
bit.ly/rakshaSP
bit.ly/rakshaOUD

Help us create awareness and break the stigma!

Happy Raksha Bandhan / Raakhi to our community members who celebrate!
Raksha Bandhan (meaning the bond of protection) is historically marked by the ritual of women/girls tying a rakhi (decorative thread/ bracelet) around their brothers' wrists - to symbolize a brother's commitment to provide protection. In some communities, the ritual extends to other family members/ groups of people, irrespective of gender.

This Raksha Bandhan, we join voices urging our community to work together to foster cultures of respect and consent and create a world where women can be safe and live free from fear and violence. If you see an act of violence, step up, speak up, interrupt! Let's weave threads of solidarity as a community and strive for protection beyond physical safety to champion safety, equal rights and access for all, regardless of gender identity.

🎉 Grateful for the joyful coincidence of celebrating National Nonprofits Day (August 17) on the eve of a special milestone - Raksha's nonprofit status anniversary! On August 18, 1995 we received the 501c3 nonprofit status. Tomorrow we celebrate 29 years of our nonprofit journey - almost three decades of empowering, uplifting, and supporting the South Asian community. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of our story—here’s to many more years of making a difference together! 💜

Today marks the 12-year anniversary of the deadliest act of anti-Sikh hate in U.S. history: the 2012 shooting at a gurdwara (Sikh house of worship) - the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek, WI by a gunman with neo-Nazi and white supremacist ties that took seven precious lives. Today, we pause in remembrance and recommit to shared action—because no community should fear for their lives when they gather to pray. #

Resources for additional information:
The Sikh Coalition
Revolutionary Love Project
Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund
https://rememberoakcreek.org
https://www.propublica.org/article/sikhs-in-america-hate-crime-victims-and-bias

Last month, we had the privilege of hosting a volunteer orientation for our incoming volunteers. Our volunteer program is truly the backbone of our organization, playing an important role in our efforts to bring justice, empowerment, and healing to South Asian survivors of violence. We are grateful for the time and dedication our volunteers invest in our cause. Their commitment not only supports our mission but enables us to make a greater impact in the community!

The results are in! Thanks to your 54,261 votes through the Target Circle Giving campaign, we received $2,680 in donations from Target. This contribution will help us continue our mission to empower the South Asian community with support, education, and advocacy, focusing on healing and justice for survivors of violence. We appreciate everyone's solidarity!

Today we celebrate International Non-Binary People's Day! Non-binary is an identity for those who do not exclusively identify as a man or a woman. These individuals may see themselves as both, somewhere in between, or outside these categories entirely. While some non-binary people also identify as transgender, not all do. The term can also encompass various identities such as agender, bigender, genderqueer, or gender fluid.

The HRC Foundation has estimated that there are more than two million non-binary individuals across the United States representing all racial and ethnic backgrounds, as well as all faith traditions. Embracing non-binary identities is part of a broader movement towards inclusivity. No matter who you are, we affirm you, your gender is valid - and this day is for you. 💟

Over the next few weeks our office is partnering with advocates and experts to host a series of virtual workshops called “Healing from Trauma & Loss.”

These workshops are free to attend and open to the public. Please register at bit.ly/DAHealingWorkshops.

We hope to see you soon!

Happy 4th of July to everyone! We are closed today and tomorrow. Wishing everyone a fun and safe celebration! 🎆 🇺🇸

🆘 If you are experiencing an emergency, please call 911.

If you are experiencing violence or assault, please call---
📞 GA Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-334-2836
📞 GA Network for Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800- 656-4673
📞 GA Human Trafficking Hotline: (866) 363-4842
📞 National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233

If you are experiencing an crisis or need mental health support, please call---
📞 GA Crisis and Access Line: 1-800-715-4225

☎️ If you need immediate assistance, please call us at 404-876-0670, Monday- Friday 9am-5pm. If you reach our voice mail, please leave a message and let us know if it is safe to call you back.

Have you applied to our new leadership development cohort yet?! We have some exciting updates! We are now offering this opportunity to persons aged 18-26 & our application deadline has been extended to July 15th!

✊🏾Join us in learning about survivor justice, building power, and finding community. There is a stipend associated with this opportunity as well as access to free birth control. If you or a young South Asian (18-26 yrs) you know is interested, apply here: https://www.raksha.org/raksha-reproductive-justice-cohort/

✨Apply by July 15th! (Applications close by 11:59pm EST)

👉🏾 Questions can be DM'd or directed to [email protected].

We are just a few days away from the end of our voting time with Target! Vote for us by this Sunday June 30th through the Target app. Thank to everyone who has voted for us thus far, 34,354 votes in! Every vote counts to help us receive a portion of the available Target funds as we continue our mission to empower the South Asian community with support, education, and advocacy, focusing on healing and justice for survivors of violence.

How to vote:
1️⃣ Go to your Target App
2️⃣ Go to your profile tab & Set "My Store" to zip code: 30363
3️⃣ Tap on Circle
4️⃣ Select vote for Nonprofits
5️⃣ Search for us and vote!

✅ Voting works only if you are a Target Circle member (sign up, its free!)
✅ You must have a minimum 1 vote in your account in order to participate.
✅ Votes are earned on a transactional basis, 1 transaction = 1 vote regardless of dollar amount spent. They expire after 1 year.
✅ For full program details and restrictions, visit Target Circle by clicking the link in our profile.

The Power and Control Wheel for LGBTQIA+ relationships is a tool used to understand the dynamics of abusive relationships within these communities. It highlights specific tactics that abusers use to exert power and control over their partners. The inside of the wheel is made up of subtle, continual behaviors over time, while the outer ring represents physical and sexual violence. Understanding these specific dynamics is vital for providing appropriate support and interventions in LGBTQIA+ relationships.

Here are the 9 key components:

1️⃣ Emotional Abuse: Undermining the victim's self-esteem by questioning questioning the victim's gender identity or sexual orientation.

2️⃣ Isolation: Cutting off the victim from their support networks and/or or by convincing them that no one else will accept or understand them because of their identity.

3️⃣ Minimizing, Denying, and Blaming: Downplaying abuse and blaming the victim. This can involve saying that the victim is overreacting or that the abuse is just a normal part of relationships in the LGBT community.

4️⃣ Using Children: Manipulating the victim through their children. This can involve threatening to take the children away or using visitation rights to harass the victim.

5️⃣ Coercion and Threats: Threatening to out the victim or harm them.

6️⃣ Economic Abuse: Controlling the victim's finances. The abuser may also use the victim's financial dependence to keep them in the relationship.

7️⃣ Using Privilege: Exploiting societal privileges to dominate. This can include a cisgender person using their privilege over a transgender partner, or a person who is more "out" using that status to control a partner who is not as openly identified.

8️⃣ Sexual Abuse: Forcing non-consensual sexual activities. It can also involve forcing the victim to engage in sexual acts that are not aligned with their gender identity or sexual orientation.

9️⃣ Intimidation: Instilling fear through threats and destructive behavior.

Each year on June 20th, the world celebrates the strength and courage of refugees who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution. This year, World Refugee Day focuses on solidarity with refugees – for a world where refugees are welcomed.

Refugees need our support more than ever. This involves welcoming them, recognizing their strengths and achievements, and understanding their challenges. Solidarity means finding solutions to their situation, ending conflicts to allow safe return, creating opportunities for them to thrive in host communities, and providing necessary resources to support and include refugees.

💪🏾Support refugees in your community! Explore local organizations dedicated to aiding refugees in Georgia on our last slide. 💪🏾

Disclaimer: This post is not an exhaustive or complete list of support or local organizations. It is intended to provide a quicklist of local organizations & support for refugees in GA. Individuals are encouraged to conduct their own research for more detailed information.

June 19 is the United Nations International Day for Eliminating Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV).

🕊️ Did you know that CRSV includes not only direct acts of sexual violence in active war zones but also those that occur as indirect consequences of conflict and forced displacement, including trafficking, forced marriage, and lack of access to medical and reproductive health care...

👩‍👧‍👦 The majority of CSRV victims are women and girls. Alarmingly, 20% of the victims are children and 75% of child victims are girls. Recently, there has been an increase in male victims, with boys often being forcibly recruited into armed groups.

⚔️ Sexual violence has been used as a weapon of war, a tool for control, and has also been part of systemic policies to demoralize and destabilize communities and in some cases, change the ethnic makeup of future generations.

Read our April Blog: https://www.raksha.org/crsv-saam/

violence

Juneteenth, observed on June 19th, marks the historic day in 1865 when the last enslaved African Americans were freed in Galveston, Texas—two and a half years AFTER the Emancipation Proclamation. This day, also known as Freedom Day or America's 2nd independence day, is a time for reflection, celebration, and education about African American history and culture.

We are closed today in honor of Juneteenth. ✊🏾

🚫🗣️ Let's Talk About Hate Speech! 📣
On this International Day for Countering Hate Speech, let’s address the basics and understand how harmful rhetoric and hateful words can endanger communities. Because hate speech isn't just about words -- it can:

🔴 be a catalyst for Hate Crimes: Areas with frequent hate speech see a 20% increase in hate crimes!

🔴 disproportionately targets the vulnerable, creates systemic disparities and discrimination and undermines democratic values in the long term.

Hate speech is amplified by Social Media! Let's take a moment to educate ourselves on standing up against hate speech 💛

👉 Find links to all resources and more on Hate Crimes at www.raksha.org/hatecrimeresources

🔗 Link in BIO 🔗 Linktree page: linktr.ee/rakshainc

We love this article about one of our former Board Members. Thank you 285 South for these powerful stories about our intersectional identities.

“We wanted to have a space where we could celebrate queerness with pride, but also say ‘yes’ to the languages we speak, the food we eat, the clothes we come in, and embrace the inside jokes of our ethnic communities.”

Creating a safe space for people to be themselves: An interview with Satyam Barakoti, co-founder of Pride in Mother Tongue – 285 South “We wanted to have a space where we could celebrate queerness with pride, but also say ‘yes’ to the languages we speak, the food we eat, the clothes we come in, and embrace the inside jokes of our ethnic communities.”

Eid ul-Adha Mubarak to all who celebrate!

Happy Father's Day! Celebrating the amazing father figures in our lives with love and gratitude. We uplift a beautiful poem (shortened here for brevity) by Amanda Buckland (Neurodivergent Psychologist Autistic Pride Mumma).

Today, we recognize World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Research from the National Center on Elder Abuse indicates that psychological and emotional abuse is the most commonly reported form of elder abuse in AANHPI communities. Many older adults and their families in these communities avoid seeking help due to fears of being a burden, cultural values of endurance and suffering seen as virtues, and pride in self-reliance. Additional barriers include language difficulties, discomfort with reporting personal issues, viewing elder mistreatment as a private family matter, and a preference for seeking help from family, friends, and religious sources.

Everyone ages, yet older adults are often dehumanized and seen as "other," which normalizes and sanctions elder abuse. We encourage you to expose and challenge stereotypes that depict older adults as frail, vulnerable, and disposable. Swipe left to view helpful resources for an elder in your life.

Sources: National Center on Elder Abuse & National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life - NCALL

If you or a loved one has experienced violence, you may be eligible for our new leadership development cohort!

The Raksha Reproductive Justice Cohort will spend 10 months together learning about survivor justice, building power, and finding community. There is a stipend associated with this opportunity. If you or a young person (18-24 yrs) you know is interested, apply here: https://www.raksha.org/raksha-reproductive-justice-cohort/ ✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾

✨Apply by July 8th! (Applications close by 11:59pm EST)✨

👉🏾 Questions can be DM'd or directed to [email protected].

🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️Celebrating Pride Month with love & solidarity! We honor the strength, resilience, and diverse beauty of the LGBTQIA+ community, including our South Asian LGBTQIA+ family. Together we stand against discrimination and prejudice, amplifying and uplifting each other, creating a world where everyone can live openly and proudly. You are exactly who you should be.

Pride Month, commemorating the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community and the fight for equal rights. The Stonewall Uprising, sparked by a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a prominent gay bar in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, on June 28, 1969, led to significant shifts in LGBTQIA+ activism.

Pride Month promotes visibility, collective, and advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community. This year, according to the Human Rights Campaign, 130 bills targeting trans rights and 325 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been proposed, following over 650 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in 2023.

If you ever felt overwhelmed with complex therapy terms, you are not alone! today to join us as we simplify and explain some Culturally Adaptable therapy options on the last day of .

In our South Asian community, accessing quality therapy is hindered by several challenges, including cultural stigma, language barriers, and a shortage of culturally competent care providers. Furthermore, traditional psychotherapy is often based on the norms of Western, middle-class families, which emphasize individualism—a stark contrast to our community's collective mindset.

Mental health professionals must actively strive to understand their clients' cultural backgrounds and belief systems through ongoing education and consultation with colleagues from similar cultural backgrounds. With more Culturally Aware therapy, our community can be encouraged to seek help, making the therapeutic process more effective.

Disclaimer: This post is not an exhaustive or complete list of therapy modalities. It is intended to provide a simplified version of some culturally responsive therapy modalities as well as a quicklist of some culturally specific resources available for the South Asian community. Individuals should conduct their own research and consult with healthcare professionals to find the most appropriate therapy for their specific needs and circumstances.

This , we ask your help in supporting efforts that recognize the unique history, experiences and needs of the various ethnic groups within the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA & NHPI) community! We are calling community members who identify as South Asian/ AAPI to sign up to take a quick survey. Your inputs will help with "data disaggregation" - to generate more specific and actionable insights for 30+ AAPI serving organizations to serve their communities better. Link to sign up: https://bit.ly/aapisurvey24

We honor and remember the nation's heroes who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. Their courage will never be forgotten. In observance of Memorial Day, we will be closed today. We will resume normal operations tomorrow. Wishing everyone a safe Memorial Day.

We wear green to show our support for prioritizing mental health. Raising mental health awareness in South Asian communities is important for addressing cultural challenges that create stigma and silence. Factors like family reputation, high expectations, and traditional beliefs often make it hard for people to seek help. Many face depression, anxiety, and stress from immigration and cultural conflicts, worsened by generational gaps. It's important to treat mental health with the same care as physical health. Taking care of your mind is taking care of your whole self. 💚