The new short documentary I’m Not An Activist, Dragon Combat Club (DCC) premiered today, July 27. DCC is an organization in New York City that tackles anti-Asian violence by empowering the community at an individual level to take action without waiting for outside support.
The club’s participants learn self-defense and de-escalation tactics while also building community. While there is no specific martial arts style, the techniques draw heavily on wrestling, Thai boxing and Kali, or a Filipino fighting art.
The 10-minute documentary was filmed over five days by a team led by filmmaker Dan Chen from the production company Nourish Creative.
While DCC acts as a line of defense for the AAPI community in the now, other organizations like AAPI Equity Alliance are working on long-term protections.
AAPI Equity Alliance is a coalition of more than 40 community-based organizations that advocate for the AAPI community in areas from social justice to mental health to immigration to civic engagement.
“AAPI Equity Alliance focuses on empowering everyday Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with the information, tools and resources they need to be civically active in their communities on the issues they care about,” AAPI Equity Alliance Deputy Director Norbert Tan said to AsAmNews.
The organization has led initiatives such as creating an in-language voter guide to inform AAPIs about the impact of certain ballot proposals on their lives and holding teach-ins about how to advocate before a county government.
