Comcast Continues Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration With Contribution to ACRS

Company Donates $55,000 to Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) for COVID-19 Response Effort and Digital Literacy Training

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Comcast Washington today announced a $55,000 contribution to Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) in support of the non-profit organization’s COVID-19 response effort and digital literacy training needs in Western Washington. The contribution is part of a series of activities and initiatives kicked off by Comcast earlier this month to educate the public about the impact of the pandemic, and honor Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.

Comcast recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a far-reaching impact on all communities. The impact of COVID-19 continues to be a deep concern, especially for limited English-speaking residents and immigrants and refugees in the greater Seattle area who may be unfamiliar with healthcare systems and further isolated by the digital divide.

Even more alarming is the racial discrimination attached to this virus, inciting hate speech, racial bullying and fear of seeking assistance based on citizenship status and/or being Asian or Pacific Islander. According to data collected by several Asian American organizations, more than 1,600 hate incidents have been self-reported across the nation since mid-March.

To support our local community’s response to these incidents, Comcast is providing a $55,000 grant to ACRS to help reach thousands of immigrants, refugees and other underserved AAPI community members. The grant will support the organization’s operational relief and ongoing tech and digital literacy needs, including:

• Rapid response to clients in need of food, emergency financial assistance and rental assistance.
• Increased multilingual hotline services for emergency information and referral services to support community members needing health resources, access to safety net programs and services.
• Increased employment assistance, job counseling, unemployment navigation, and case management.
• Increased services through the internet. This includes case management and technical training for clients to help them use internet-based tools and online resources.
• Targeted digital literacy classes to support immigrants and refugees who have basic familiarity with computers and are seeking employment or career advancement.

“ACRS shares the same commitment with Comcast to educate and empower immigrants, refugees, and underserved AAPI communities with the digital knowledge and tools they need to navigate the challenges they face and thrive," said Michael Byun, ACRS Executive Director. "We are excited and grateful for the opportunity to partner with Comcast to help those most critically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially limited English-speaking members of our communities, who already face many barriers accessing vital resources and are further isolated by the digital divide."

On May 1, Comcast announced several activities in support of Asian culture during Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. Throughout the month, Comcast is celebrating the AAPI community’s remarkable contributions to American culture, film, science, sports, and history with Xfinity TV’s ‘Asian American Film & TV collection’ Destination and Free Preview.

The ‘Asian American Film & TV collection’ destination on Xfinity X1 brings together all of the Asian film, TV, music, and web content available on the platform in one place. During AAPI Heritage Month, the destination will also feature a selection of award-winning movies, documentaries, biopics, and television series curated into a special collection featuring popular Asian American actors such as John Cho and Ken Jeong, music content from Music Choice, Stingray, and TVK-Pop, and more.

Additionally, throughout the month, Comcast is featuring a selection of free AAPI programming from a variety of networks and subscription video on demand services including: GMA Pinoy, Filipino On Demand, Kocowa, Hi YAH!, Anime Network, and Eros Now. X1 customers can access the destination by saying “Asian American” into the Xfinity Voice Remote. A selection of programming will also be available on Xfinity Flex and the Xfinity Stream app and portal.

About Comcast in Washington

Comcast is deeply committed to Washington, where our 4,500+ employees serve more than 1.6 million residential and business customers throughout our state footprint. Comcast is Washington’s leading provider of XFINITY video, high-speed Internet, “smart home” and phone services. Comcast operates Xfinity retail stores throughout Washington, which feature a welcoming and modern retail environment that highlights the complete line of Xfinity Home and Comcast Business technology offerings, including Xfinity Mobile, Xfinity X1, Xfinity Home and Xfinity Internet. To learn more about Comcast in Washington, visit: https://washington.comcast.com/