#stopasainhate

"How can you not be terrified about all the things you can't control?"

We cannot control life. We are not able to erase evil out of the world. But we can support each other and hold our hands while we face the problems together.

Give me your hand and I will lend you my ear. I will hold you in my arms. Lets cry together until we both can smile again.

Please listen to us. Please hear about our sorrow.

In processing the recent news about Asian hate crimes and the authorities who are humanizing the criminals responsible... I have a few thoughts.

First, this has been ongoing. It may be shocking to some who don’t read or hear about hate crimes, but it is never too late to condemn hateful and evil actions.

Second, for the families impacted, I can only hope and pray they find peace because not only are they grieving but they must go through the agonizing legal and judicial process of proving the criminal had hatred for their race.

Third, my heart aches. I have personally grown up around racial bias and discrimination. I have been harassed as an adult. I have been silenced by members of the unbelieving majority. But I have risen above and here, I stand, not with blame or hatred for any of the people who have wronged me or members of my race, but with empowerment to speak out because I absolutely hate the model minority myth that perpetuates the stereotypes that Asians are to be successful yet subdued, or that Asians are not true citizens and have homes in Asia or that Asian men are weaker or Asian women are acceptable sexual fetishes, or that Asians cannot and should not defend themselves when mistreated.

And for the record, I am 100% American - born and raised in Texas, and my first language is English. I have also never been diagnosed with COVID-19 nor have I ever even traveled to Asia. I, too, go to church and I am a Christian.

I can't help but cry

Wondering if someone I know will be the next to die.

I wonder if I walk on the street

Will Their hate will force me to retreat.

Why do we allow our selves to hate?

Why do we try so hard to assimilate.

We try so hard to be one of them

While they just treat us with contempt

They enjoy our food and culture

While telling us to go back to the land of our fathers.

Love and respect for our elders is engraved into our bones

But to our most respected, they throw fists and stones

We give up who we are to be someone they will accept

But in the end we don't even have their respect

We've come to accept the casual racist

We allow them to propagate hate that is baseless

Casual racism is so normalized that we don't recognize.

That we are being patronized

The effect and concequce antagonize

A whole race so we compromise

Shhh keep your head down. Don't say a word

You have live the life of a gilded cage bird

Take what they give you

Let your self be undervalued

If You upset the boat you'll capsize us all for we are at the edge just push away from a deadly fall

So we kept our heads down while the hatred filled the air like thunder

With people dead and families torn asunder

They tell us who we are is wrong

That it's something that should make us ashamed - something to run from

Hatred is the inappropriate response to fear

And ignorance doesn't make the problem disappear.

Sinophobia - a word not often used

a fear that leaves an entire country bruised and abused

They blame an entire race for things that are beyond human control

LATTO. #Beautymarks

Paul Andre Michels

Xiaojie Yan

Daoyou Feng

Julie Park

Park Hyeon Jeong