Delaina Ashley Yaun

Xiaojie Tan

Daouyou Feng

Paul Andre Michels

Hyun Jung Grant (Kim)

Soon Park

Suncha Kim

Young A. Yue

 

When the news first broke, I learned about it on twitter. At that point no mainstream news outlet was running the story. I felt heart-broken, sadness, and fear. We didn’t know the names of the victims at the time, but knew that many of the victims were members of the Asian community. One of the first things that came to mind for me was whether or not I should be sharing what happened for fear of saying the wrong thing, adding more pain and trauma to those around me, and not knowing what spaces felt appropriate. As I reflect on that it dawned on me that I myself, in that moment, was upholding and giving power to white supremacy. The story for many of us of the Asian diaspora is one of silencing and erasure. Our experiences are bulked into one monolithic identity rarely capturing the diversity and wholeness of our experiences. I feel a deep sense of obligation in this moment in time to reclaim my own voice and identity so that I can continue to challenge the racist Asian stereotypes and anti-Asian rhetoric that is so ingrained within history. These days, I spend a lot of time thinking about how Asians fit into the larger landscape of conversations around race and class. As I continue to navigate through life as an Asian woman, I know that I must actively challenge and address white supremacy throughout all aspects of my life because this isn’t just about the Asian community, but for all of us – Black, Latinx, Indigenous, other marginalized communities – being able to exist on this earth with dignity.