(Originally posted on @carolinepritchardwrites on 2/10/21)
The recent attacks against the Asian community are inextricably tied to a history of anti-Asian racism in our country. It is one of the many reasons terms like “Kung flu” are not just hateful but dangerous and need to be called out in real time. As a white and Jewish woman, not to mention a Bay Area resident where attacks are rampant, denouncing anti-Asian hate in all of my communities is critical and long overdue.
Below are brilliant Asian American individuals and organizations who are making change by doing the relentless work of telling their own stories— oftentimes while simultaneously being attacked for using their voice and platforms. I’m including the below for reference, but hope you will follow, connect and engage directly with the work of these educators. In the words of Liz Kleinrock, “I had no idea” doesn’t cut it anymore:
⚫️ @hownottotravellikeabasicbitch: The importance of clearly denouncing and interrupting violence against Asian communities
⚫️ @beyonkz: Writing a new story of Black and Asian solidarity that involves both taking up space and condemning anti-Blackness; Racial Triangulation Theory (Claire Jean Kim)
⚫️@teachandtransform: Intersectionality, the urgency of inclusive activism and holding multiple truths at once
⚫️ @localpassportfamily: Abundance vs. a scarcity mindset with liberation work
⚫️ @joannahowrites: How the everyday erasure of Asian Americans supports white supremacy and perpetuates oppression of all BIPOC communities
⚫️ @little_kotos_closet: How cultural appropriation is tied to colonialism, anti-Indigeneity and anti-Blackness
⚫️ @smithsonianapa: Asian-Black solidarity movements for liberation, the model minority myth and so much more
⚫️@asianlitforkids: Why celebrating Asian characters in children’s book is critical for inclusive narratives; the importance of calling the upcoming holiday Lunar New Year rather than Chinese New Year
I’d love and appreciate hearing more ideas, calls to action and thought leader accounts.