I didn’t want to resume posting my regular content until I wrote about Black Lives Matter. It felt strange for me to write any posts promoting something rather than advocating for something that I valued of more importance. For those of you questioning, “Why did it take SO long for her to speak out about this personally? It’s been months, she should’ve stood by the Black community sooner.”

These questions, in my opinion, feed into performative activism– forcing celebrities or influencers to speak out right away on social media just to “save face.” I wasn’t trying to speak out right away just to save my brand’s reputation because I wanted to keep researching, learning, and having those personal conversations with those around me. I wasn’t trying to go off grid or run from these still current issues. I was still active on Instagram stories and sharing as much factual information as I could. I was still signing petitions and sending emails to government officials. I collaborated with my best friend in my last post– asking him to share his own personal and raw experience going through these difficult times. But making this post right here, took more research and contemplation on my end. (Which within itself, is privilege- to research about it instead of experiencing it first-hand.)

To my fellow Asian community, now is not the time to be comparing our own social injustices. We had the time to speak up for our community when the President referred to Covid-19 as the “China Virus.” Right now is the time to be re-educating ourselves on American history and the current systems in place.

Here are some notes that I picked up:

  1. The Stonewall Riots– a huge tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement; Lesbians and trans women of color (such as: Stormé DeLarverie, Sylvia Rivera, and Marsha P. Johnson) were some of the key people involved in this movement of resistance
  2. The Civil Rights Movement (1940s-1960s)– an effort to end racial discrimination and gain equal rights by the Black community and like-minded allies
  3. The model minority myth (placed on Asian minorities) coined by White men to create a racial hierarchy to promote white supremacy and anti-blackness.
  4. It’s up to the Asian community to challenge that myth & use the privilege we have to help support the Black community in any way possible
  5. The Black community must face racial microaggressions every single day
  6. On top of this, systemic racism exists at every level in society. From the education system, to the wealth gap, to housing, and even the medical field- there are structural barriers everywhere that are placed against Black lives.
  7. “Staying out of politics” or “being tired of seeing political posts” is privilege within itself.
  8. You are personally responsible for becoming more ethical than the environment that you grew up in!!!
  9. Whatever positive experience you may have had with cops does not negate the fact that the system is violent and unjust– being built on systematic racism.
  10. What you choose to put out on your platform, any platform, is the bare minimum of what you can actually do to support the cause.

We, the Asian community, need to rally together to help support the Black community and prove that with solidarity, comes change. We are not the ones being killed by the hands of those sworn to protect and serve us. We do not have to worry about the possibility of not living another day when pulled over by the police. We do not have to teach our sons and daughters that their lives could be taken away just because of the color of their skin. We will never understand that pain. However, we need to stand by the Black community and be willing to fight this together.

It’s not like slavery was abolished in America and all of the sudden people decided to finally view Black lives as equal to their own. Fact check: June 19th, “Juneteenth,” marks the date that news of the abolishment of slavery in the country reached Texas. It took TWO whole years for the news to reach the rest of America, so clearly Americans weren’t ready to change their ways.

Our history has led us to where we are today, an America divided. My journalism professor, during my Senior year back at university, once taught me something that I’ll never forget. He drew one figure on the chalkboard and proceeded to give his lecture.


Infatuated with Simplicity

A triangle, depicting those at the top and those at the bottom. The top (rich white men) will shift the blame onto one end of the triangle (poor minorities), with promises to the latter end (poor white people) that they will be able to join them at the top of the triangle and succeed if it weren’t for the interference or mere existence of the other side.
*For instance: politicians tend to tell poor White communities that they would be able to succeed if minorities weren’t taking all of their jobs.

Once he dove into this analogy, he went on to teach about Redlining- the systematic denial of loans or services due to the area in which someone lives.

It was in that moment that I realized, as minorities, we can’t keep fighting each other because that’s exactly what the people at the top want us to do. We can’t argue over who’s more oppressed or who has it worst because arguing will get us absolutely nowhere.

Equality will never be obtainable if we remain divided.

I am proud to claim my Chinese heritage. However, that doesn’t mean that I will blatantly deny the racism and extreme colorism that is apparent in my culture. Things like that and the “model minority” myth is detrimental to both the Asian and Black community. We need to fight the institutions not each other.

We need to wake up and realize that our community isn’t perfect. We’re not going to get anywhere by constantly comparing our oppressions. It starts with us holding our own people accountable and calling each other out for racist/prejudice behaviors.

This is a continuous fight for our brothers and sisters who are fearing for their lives.

This is a continuous fight for basic human rights.

Your children are going to be educated on these events and ask what you’ve done during the 2020 BLM riots and protests. Are you just going to tell them that all you contributed was posting a black square on social media?