Hi, this is Lisa. I don’t normally chime in on this channel with things personal in nature, but today is an exception. What is true for me? I believe that despite coming from different backgrounds and life experiences, WE are ALL interconnected and interdependent.
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As a Vietnamese American who came to the U.S. before I was two, and as someone who has experienced racism and misogyny (both explicit and subtle forms) throughout my entire life, I am compelled to speak out against anti-Asian hate.
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What we are collectively experiencing are the consequences of xenophobic rhetoric that has been normalized in recent years.
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Please consider:
1) The “model minority” is a myth created to divide non-white people against each other. Please don’t buy into this myth. People of Asian descent are not a monolith group. The AAPI community is diverse in socioeconomic class, language, faith and culture. Fundamentally speaking, when we choose to “other” another group of people, it becomes easier to see folks different from us as subhuman. There are many instances in human history where this went terribly wrong, including our current circumstances.
2) What happened in the Atlanta area and the anti-Asian violence that is surging across our country is wrong. Do not excuse the murder of six women of Asian descent and two white people. Their personal histories, such as whether they were employed as service workers or worked illegally in the sex trade, should not be a barrier for any one of us to feel empathy for them and their family members left behind. Their lives mattered to someone. They did not deserve to die. They died as a consequence of our nation’s deep-seated issues including white supremacy, misogyny and classism. .
3) There is a lot going on in our society that is not right. It is easy for us to get stuck in one existential crisis after another. The good news is that WE have the ability to change some things. No; we can’t change other people, especially those who choose to live in a fear-based reality or commit violence against other people. But WE CAN control ourselves. Let’s commit to listen to each other more, to do our inner work (i.e. flexing our empathy muscle, approaching difference with cultural humility), and to model for our children a better way of being in the world.
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It is important that all of us, regardless of our racial and cultural backgrounds; education levels; or bank account balance, ALL OF US MUST speak up against racism and xenophobia when and where it matters – both in private conversations and in the public discourse. It will not be easy, but if we are to build a better world for our children, it will be necessary.
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In solidarity,
LT