The spike in violence against Asians is heartbreaking but I didn’t want to fall into despair. It’s easy to be consumed by the tragedies against our Asian community—which has resulted in numerous fatalities and immeasurable long-term trauma—and I wanted to create a way to give back—even if it’s something small and simple. It was a way to fight anti-Asian hate and to show we care. It was a way to power up when forces are trying to knock us down.
I am floored with the amount of support, especially from my non-Asian friends that wanted to help and learn. I appreciate everyone’s effort in seeking to understand the underlying issues that are causing the anti-Asian sentiment. This means so much to the Asian community. I beam with pride to know such wonderful souls. Let’s keep talking about this.
Growing up, we were taught to be quiet and to not make noise. We were expected to not speak up because culturally, speaking against your elders was considered disrespectful. We cannot afford to do this anymore. These are old traditions that need to be broken. We need to break out of our cultural norms because they are not serving us well. We are not meant to stay invisible. Asians have contributed so much to society and we are deserving of our place here. We belong here, too!
Here are things we can do in the meantime to show our support and solidarity with the Asian community.
- Support Asian businesses
- Support Chinatowns
- Support Asian artists
- Fund underserved Asian communities
- Volunteer to accompany elders during their commutes
- Educate our non-Asian friends
- Recognize Asian accomplishments & contributions
- Override cultural Asian norms of staying quiet
- Use your voice
- Support Asian businesses
- Support Chinatowns
- Support Asian artists
- Fund underserved Asian communities
- Volunteer to accompany elders during their commutes
- Educate our non-Asian friends
- Recognize Asian accomplishments & contributions
- Override cultural Asian norms of staying quiet
- Use your voice