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By Amanda Zhou She comes home to find everything not lost but destroyed. To take an elixir, a bead, smaller than a button, but which sits at the throat for an eternity. Her husband, gone to boast around, again and again. Always with his arrow, he brags. Where is he now? Where is his piercing arrow, drawn with his mighty strength to come save her? The words always say, He, comes to save her. He always boasts of his wife, her- obsidian hair, cherry-pressed cheeks, pale, porcelain skin – that cracks too easily. But where is he now? To slice the dark night into half, from the sly men who jewel her. Well, where else would he be, besides indulged in the wine-infused air kissed by young girls? So her throat, too kisses the elixir. And now, oh, how he comes now— faster than the speed of his arrow, his mighty arrow, Yet, his arrow is the one who pecks at her throat. So what can she do but leave? To a place where his arrow his mighty, bellowing arrow, won’t reach. To the moon. And she watches him string his bow again / again / again. But his mighty arrow, never reaches the moon.

By Cassandra Lee

By Cassandra Lee

STATISTICS Stereotypes and Structural Barriers "Asi an American communities are burdened with the “model minority” stereotype, a prevalent and misleading assumption that depicts AAPIs as uniformly well-adjusted, attaining more socioeconomic success than other minority groups through strong work ethic, conforming to social norms and excelling academically. The social and familial pressure created by this deceptive stereotype can prevent community members from seeking mental health care." - Nathan Stewart, timely.md Statistics Suicide is the leading cause of death for Asian Americans from ages 15 to 24 73.1% of AAPIs adults with a mental illness did not recieve treatment Mental Services AAPIs are least likely to seek mental health services than any other racial/ethnic group. AAPIs are three times less likely to access mental health services than their white counterparts. 35% of Asian Americans report that their mental health has worsened during the pandemic 58% of Asian Americans said that reports of discrimination and violence against Asian people affected their mental health 2.7 Million AAPIs have a mental and/or substance abuse disorder (SUD) 17.3% overall lifetime rate of AAPIs developing a mental illness or psychiatric disorder 13% of Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders do not have health insurance

@cassandramlee ​ OUR MISSION As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, incidents of hate-crimes against AAPIs have increased rapidly with only limited coverage by mainstream media outlets. Furthermore, access to therapy and mental health- related assistance has become increasingly limited for minority groups. Here at AAPImpact, we believe your voices need to be heard, and your stories need to be shared. Spreading awareness through written testimonials helps to educate and motivate others to create change and to call our leaders into action. OUR PURPOSE AAPImpact is a place to shift perspectives and create meaningful change. We are a platform that displays statistically backed information with a desire to uncover the narrative behind the numbers. We strive to present the stories that fail to reach the mainstream media and highlight the real-life struggles and experiences of the AAPI community. We aim to encourage those who might remain silent or complacent about these issues to take a stand against prejudice and hate.

cassandralee.com SUBMISSIONS GENERAL GUIDELINES : This is an inclusive space where you can freely express your thoughts, explore your creativity, and navigate your emotions. We encourage works that shed light on mental health issues and the experiences of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Whether you use writing as a form of catharsis, self-reflection, or to address societal concerns, we invite you to share your unique perspectives. Feel free to submit your work to multiple platforms concurrently, but kindly note that we do not accept previously published pieces. Regardless of your age or location, we encourage you to share your authentic voice. ​ ​ SUBMISSION FORMAT: Submissions are exclusively accepted online. Literary pieces should be f ormatted double-spaced in standard 12 pt Times New Roma n font and submitted in pdf format. Art pieces should be uploaded as PDF/JPEG. ​ When submitting your work: - Please include a brief author's bio. - Do not submit more than 5 submissions per edition. If you are submitting multiple works, please send them as separate emails. - If t he material you submit includes sensitive content (such as self-harm, abuse, eating disorders, violence, etc.), please provide a trigger warning for our editors. - Email your submission(s) to aapimpacts@gmail.com . ​