#supportouraapicommunity

I've been trying to find the words to express how I feel about the recent Atlanta Spa shootings and growing hate against the AAPI community. I love being half Japanese, but as a fourth generation American, such a large part of our history has been lost. My father’s earliest years were during WWII. My Dad and his family were placed in the internment camps and after they were released they relocated to Chicago. He and his brother went to school and quickly stopped speaking Japanese. He was never able to learn it again. I never learned it either. I distinctly remember visiting Japan with my family. My dad was greeted in Japanese, but being so unable to speak it back that he couldn't be understood. As a kid I played dress up, putting chopsticks in my hair and wearing a Kimono a family member gifted to my mom. I remember my mom making "stir fry" dinners using my dad's rice cooker, and eating at Japanese restaurants. I loved it, but also I felt like a tourist to a part of my own race. My dad had painful memories of his childhood and he learned not to carry those with him. He didn't talk much about the past, our history or our culture, rather we enjoyed what we could experience of it in the present. I am deeply saddened by the lives lost in the Atlanta spa shooting and the rising hate and racism against the Asian community. As the Designer/Owner of Uye Surana and as an Asian American woman, I’ve decided to donate $5 from every pair of undies sold through this month to @stopaapihate a group dedicated to ending anti-Asian hate. #StopAsianHate

As a brand that takes pride in creating and cultivating a community that is inclusive, intersectional, and positive we are deeply devastated by the recent attack on the Asian community. We mourn the lives of: Xiaojie Tan Daoyou Feng Soon Chung Park Hyun Jung Grant Suncha Kim Yong Ae Yue Delaina Ashley Yaun Paul Andre Michels We cannot sit idly by while members of our community are attacked. We've donated to the victims' families through Asian Americans Advancing Justice Atlanta @advancingjustice_aajc and encourage you, if possible, to do the same. Other places to donate or volunteer include: Stop AAPI Hate @stopaapihate The United Asian Alliance @asianamericancollective We will continue to fight for the equality and liberation of our Asian community and seek new ways of supporting and uplifting AAPI voices.