Items

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  2021-03-23

  "Asian and Black Americans experience racism differently. But we need to unite against hate"

  In this editorial in the Los Angeles Times, Black female staff writer Sandy Banks poses the question "Now the question is: Can we join together and move forward, with white supremacy — not each other — as the enemy?" She reflects on the years of tension in Los Angeles between the Black and Asian American communities. However, she sees a common ground between the two communities in light of the anti-Asian racism and shooting of six Asian women at the hands of a White male, whose crimes were justified by a police spokesperson who was found later to have made anti-Asian social media posts.
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  2021-03-13

  Love Our Communities

  There are different events happening today - thanks to the organizers across the US for your work. We’ve been learning alongside LA in particular - THANK YOU to all of the organizations + individuals who’ve been working SO hard to make today happen. We love our communities + we are building collecting power. Hope you join this movement. #InSolidarity @ccedla NAME CHANGE: In an effort to amplify our message of solidarity, we are no longer using “Stop Asian Hate” in the title for this event. CCED recognizes that the emphasis on hate crimes limits the scope of the conversation, implying these attacks are merely isolated racist attacks + that policing is the solution. Hate crime legislation funds surveillance but does not actually change the material realities that working class Asian Americans live in. Anti-Asian violence is tied to the collective struggle of BIPOC under white supremacy. We’ve provided some reading materials in our link in bio for folks to learn further! . . Join our communities THIS SATURDAY 3/13 @3:30PM @jamuseum in Little Tokyo (in person or via livestream!) for “LOVE OUR COMMUNITIES: BUILD COLLECTIVE POWER”--a grounding, healing space in the wake of anti-Asian Violence. Meet, collaborate, and build with grassroots organizations doing direct work in Los Angeles Asian American communities. Artwork by Cynthia Yuan Cheng @cynthiaycheng Organized by: Chinatown Community for Equitable Development @ccedla Ktown4BlackLives @ktown4blacklives Tuesday Night Project @tnproject Nikkei Progressives @NikkeiProgressives Sunday Jump @thesundayjump API Equality LA @apiequalityla Kabataang maka-Bayan / Pro-People Youth @kmb_la Progressive Asian Network for Action (PANA) Palms Up Academy @palmsupacademy J-Town Action and Solidarity @jtown.action.and.solidarity Hosted by: The Japanese American National Museum @jamuseum **Masks required. Double masking encouraged. Social Distancing required per CDC Guidelines** ADA accessibility + streaming details to be announced. Check out the FB Event Page @ccedla link in bio. [image description - more info on @ccedla page at comments]
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  2021-03-15

  I'm Ready 2020

  We are building out our work beyond social media. Until we can share more details, here are some notes from the #ImReady2020 “Hope, Healing, Accountability” convening we held last year, which included community organizers, healing practitioners, youth leaders, teachers, scholars, legal experts, and more. Thank you to everyone who continues to share their wisdom about why this moment is happening + for doing the work to demand resources + to build accountability structures across all of our communities. We honor the work community members, including organizers and educators - do every single day to create change + to take care of our communities. . . #IMREADY2020 @aapiwomenlead works every day to make sure our progressive communities are highlighted, informed, held and organized. Asian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander women and girls, gender non-conforming communities have BEEN here surviving + resisting CENTURIES of white supremacy, colonial violence. We have been leading in solidarity with all BIPOC communities- even when we keep getting erased. We will stay at it. Here are a few notes from yesterday. Videos to come. . . . Posted @withregram • @aapiwomenlead We can’t be happy enough with today’s news!!!! Thank goodness for all the organizers that worked so very hard to change the administration! AND we finished our first day of the #IMREADY2020 conference, “Hope, Healing, Accountability.” We learned about the history of militarization, colonization, police violence and war against our communities. And we learned about the ways that AAPI women and girls - across the gender spectrum, queer communities, and youth have always been at the forefront of liberation work. We will stay at this work to transform this place. For today - we celebrate. . . . (image description - image 1: there is an increase in hate violence against Asians through the trump administration and COVID. but will this violence end with this new regime? -Dr. Mimi Kim #IMREADY2020; captions continued in comments] #aapiwomenlead #insolidarity
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  2021-03-16

  Surge in Hate Crimes Against Asian Americans

  As the U.S. continues its battle against COVID-19, it is also battling a rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans. A recent report found that hate crimes against Asian Americans in major U.S. cities surged by nearly 150 percent in 2020 —even as the number of overall hate crimes fell. Stephanie Sy looks at how the violence has marred one community, and how they are coming together in its wake.
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  2021-03-18

  Illistration by Pauline C. Cuevas

  During the pandemic, hate crimes against the AAPI community have significantly increased. Our people had been unjustly blamed by previous leadership for the virus, and little hateful comments here and there have now grown into full blown terrorist actions. THIS is why words matter. THIS is why leadership matters. I urge you to speak up, stand up and be an ally to the Asian community-- especially for our elders. We are hurting, angry and scared, but the future can be a brighter one if we stick together. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to make this piece for @calendow. I've noticed my own fear and uncertainty during these times. I worry for my kids and my family, but being able to use my art to shine a light during these dark times gives me courage. We can do this together. #ProtectOurElders #StopAAPIHate #AAPI #AsianAmerican #PeoplePower #Solidarity #RiseUp #womenshistorymonth #filipinaartist #sandiegoartist
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  2021-03-17

  Heavy hearted and defeated

  The rise of anti-Asian crimes has been a focal point of my predominantly Asian and Latinx community, and has increased to a point where our local police are trying to send out messages of reassurance and solidarity. But this isn’t something that comes out of nowhere. It has been bubbling under the surface as long as Asian Americans have lived in this country. The Chinese Exclusion Act, barring Asian citizenship, miscegenation laws, land laws, internment camps, the murder of Vincent Chin, hate crimes against Southeast Asian refugees, the stereotypes, the cheap sitcom jokes and potshots, the dual embrace and distaste of the so-called “model minority.” A year ago, as COVID-19 began to infect our everyday life even prior to shutdown, many of my students recounted racism they faced at the grocery store or other public places, as Asians were made the scapegoat of the pandemic. This racism was not happening in the Midwest, it was happening in diverse Southern California. How many times this year have I had the conversation with students, family, and friends about the otherness that is associated with being Asian in America? As half of an interracial marriage with an Asian partner, I have seen first hand the comments. Going to Disney World and having my husband joke that he had seen one and a half Asians that week, himself and my daughter - and seeing the stares. Comments from Disney World or airport employees who stared at us and said in a off putting tone, “you must be from California or Hawai’i,” to which I shot back with “why, because we’re so happy and relaxed?” They didn’t crack a smile. Or my husband’s best friend, who in medical residency in Kansas City was approached in a Panera Bread with a man saying “whaaa, you want to fight Bruce Lee” and being asked by his medical resident roommates to translate Ninja Warrior for them because he “knows Chinese” (he’s third generation Japanese American). The friend in grad school in Michigan who, while walking down the street, was met by women who held the corners of their eyes and chanted “ching chong, ching chong.” Never once has anyone repeated the question “where are you from” when I tell someone I am from California. My Asian American husband is always asked at least twice. Also from California, when he responds to the simple question of where is he from with “California,”there is always the tone change and the slowed down, “No, where are you FROM?” Because the underlying, uncomfortable reality is that apparently if you’re Asian, you can’t be “from” America. Your identity is forever a hyphen. But this was not part of the public conscience until recently. With the rhetoric of leadership that continually blamed China for COVID-19, using ethnically offensive names, the acts of racism my students were experiencing in March have evolved into full fledged violence and crime, peaking yesterday with a shooting. Here we are in another moment when COVID-19 has uncovered the ugliness that lies beneath the surface in a country that calls itself a democracy. A country where the police spokesperson tried to explain away the targeted murder of eight Asian women yesterday by saying the Caucasian male shooter was having a “bad day.” No justice, no peace sounds hollow when you wonder if there ever will be either.
• 
  2021-03-17

  Hate Crimes Against Asian Americans On the Rise, Hate Is a Virus

  Two artists whose work I adore with an important message for today and always. @juliakestnerdesigns (slide 1) and @colorsofhoney (slide 2). Caption is from @juliakestnerdesigns. Caption: Discrimination, racist attacks, and xenophobia against Asian Americans have recently been on the rise. My heart hurts seeing all of the hate crimes and violence perpetrated towards the AAPI community. Anti-racism must include Asian Americans. We cannot allow white supremacy to pit us against each other or let “oppression Olympics” distract us from the real problem at hand. We’re not each other’s enemy; white supremacy is. ⁣ We can fight for liberation without turning to anti-Black rhetoric such as heavier policing or “tough on crime” justice. This kind of thinking does not bring us closer to our shared goal of equality and liberation. All it does is take us further away from our common goal of fighting against systemic injustices, and forces us to play into the us-versus-them mentality that pits us against each other. We are all victims of the same oppressive system. Just as our suffering is interconnected, so is our liberation. Our equality is irrevocably contingent on the liberation of ALL oppressed communities. Now more than ever, we need cross-community solidarity to fight for our collective healing and liberation. ✊🏻✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿 What we can do: -Amplify AAPI voices and stories -Speak out against all forms of racism and systemic injustice -Educate ourselves on the model minority myth, and how it was designed to create a wedge between Asians and other people of color in America -Learn about AAPI history -Donate to organizations committed to anti-racism To learn more, follow @stopaapihate @hateisavirus_ @ricefeed @teachandtransform @michellekimkim @jocekittyllama . . . . . #hateisavirus #stopaapihate #modelminoritymyth #standforasians #artistsagainstracism #racismisavirus #iamnotavirus #antiracism #dismantleracism #dismantlewhitesupremacy #insolidarity #fightforequality #endracism #westandtogether #intersectionalfeminsim #artmatters #activism #artforsocialchange #stopracism #stopthehate #equalityforall #istandwithyou #unitedwestand #nojusticenopeace #blacklivesm
• 
  2020

  Protest Against Bob Kroll Wrongful Arrest and Excessive Force

  Bob Kroll is the president of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, the union for the city's police department. In his 31-year policing career, Kroll has been involved in three shootings, received 20 internal affairs complaints, and been the subject of lawsuits for wrongful arrest and excessive force. A 1995 lawsuit against Kroll alleged he used racial slurs while beating, choking, and kicking a handcuffed 15-year-old boy. In a letter to his police union members following the death of George Floyd (83 days ago), Kroll described him as a "violent criminal" and called the protests a "terrorist movement". Kroll is also a member of the City Heat motorcycle club, a group that is described as white supremacists by the Anti-Defamation League. Yesterday, protesters gathered outside Kroll's home in Hugo, MN and marched in his neighborhood demanding his resignation. Photos from Let’s Roll to KKKroll’s!, Aug 15, 2020
• 
  2021-02-03

  Canada labels the Proud Boys, neo-Nazi groups as terrorists

  I’m mainly sharing this article for posterity; it was published on the day when the Canadian parliament listed the Proud boys and 13 other white supremacist/Nazi organizations as terrorist groups throughout Canada. For me, this is a positive development in my country; yet it shouldn’t have taken this long, nor should it of needed a coup attempt on the U.S. government to occur in the first place. This relates to the social justice collection mainly that it is an example of the state actually taking action against white supremacy (for a change), largely this is the result of Jagmeet Singh, the NDP and Canadians who voiced their fears and concerns regarding the effects of white supremacy, and the threat it poses to each and every one of us. I wanted to include this to demonstrate the effects of the January 6th coup on Canadian politics and society; it should also be interesting that Canada is the first country to label the Proud Boys as a terrorist organization.
• 
  2021-02-03

  The Proud Boys have been listed as a terrorist organization, now what?

  Earlier this week, the Proud Boys were successfully listed as a terrorist organization by parliament thanks to the tireless efforts of Jagmeet Singh, the NDP, and Canadians who voiced their concerns regarding the fascistic proud boys, following their role in the January 6th coup attempt in Washington D.C. This news article was written in the wake of the ruling, that while the listing of the Proud Boys as a terrorist organization is undoubtedly a good thing, there have been questions raised in regards to effectively combating white supremacy and subsequently the amount of work that went into resisting expanding Canada’s description of ‘terrorist organizations.’ Essentially, by listing the Proud Boys as a Terrorist organization, we have been confronted with a possibility that future, more repressive or Conservative governments could easily utilize these legal systems against BIPOC community organizations, indigenous sovereignty and anti-fascists across the country. That essentially, we are relying too overly on the state itself to counter harmful movements which are fermenting across our country. That in order for lasting, and efficient change – we must be able to break from relying on state security and secret intelligence and tackle the problem at its core; mainly, what is causing the spread and radicalization processes of white supremacists. Essentially, we are only kicking the can down the road – that while this development is undoubtedly good for all Canadians, we are failing to address why white supremacy is so prevalent, and violent in our country, as the article concludes, “I understand why it feels good to call this organization a terrorist organization and why it might send the right signal but I think it also sends a false signal,” he said. ”Are we actually dealing with the underlying ideology of white supremacy by doing this? No we’re not.” I’m uploading this document to highlight the ongoing debate and conflict with white supremacy in Canada, providing how Canadians are now being confronted with the question of “what now?” following the ruling. For me, we will not defeat white supremacy in Canada until we address the influence of the institutions which are entrenched in our colonial history, and the subsequent ideology of white supremacy, such as the RCMP. The RCMP were a rural police force created solely to facilitate the Westward expansion of white Canadian settlers, effectively a state tool of genocide towards Indigenous peoples; to this day they still carry on the torch of eroding and combating Indigenous sovereignty, they are often the tool of the state and private business interests on unceded Indigenous land.
• 
  2020-05-05

  Boogaloo Bois

  During the riots after the death of George Floyd the Boogaloo Bois started to attend these rallies and seemingly supporting the BLM movement, while they seemed to look like they were supporting the police at first glance with their heavy weaponry and body vests that take a militaristic look with Hawaiian shirts under those vests. These are mainly gun enthusiasts who want to protect gun rights and want to have a government with less control. They are anti-government, pro-gun, who mainly are not racists as many people do believe. This was told to me by a coworker who I had the chance to get to know while working with him during the COVID pandemic. He told me that these guys are mainly misunderstood because people like to link them with White Supremacy because of the way they look and the way that they are perceived, due to some White Supremacy’s trying to link themselves to the Boogaloo movement. They have been given a bad rap because a small handful were arrested for shooting up a police building in early May 2020, in Minneapolis during a protest.
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  2020-06-06

  Stop Black Deaths in Custody, BLM Protest - Melbourne

  An image from the BLM protest in Melbourne. A protest sparked by George Floyd's murder but rooted in issues in so-called Australia. Always was, always will be. The protest was a vindication for abolitionists. Several thousands of people congregating without a single case of transmission between protestors and all community-led, in spite of heavy police presence. Highly communicative organisers, quick-thinking marshals, and responsible demonstrators made it a powerful and safe day. It was deeply affirming to be surrounded by so many who see and are concerned about white supremacy in comparable ways to me, and also a time to listen to voices of the strong activists who ought to be centred in discussions around Aboriginal deaths in custody, decolonisation, and police/prison abolition. HIST30060
• 
  03/22/2020

  White supremacists encouraging their members to spread coronavirus to cops, Jews, FBI says

  FBI reports white supremacists are attempting to take advantage of the pandemic to inflict harm on Jews and the police.