Don’t lie

I’m not gonna lie or try to seem woke; there was a past version of me that didn’t realize the hatred that Asian Americans also experience in the United States. I ignorantly believed the model minority myth and thought that Asian Americans were “exempt” from the racist institutions and people that plague society. I used to think that “it wasn’t that bad” for Asian Americans in comparison to what black people experience. 

I know that a lot of people share my experience , even if they don’t want to admit it. Acknowledging your miseducation and ignorance is the first step in becoming an ally and better human. But you can’t just act like an ally, you need to be one. When the media inevitably stops reporting about the murder of eight people in Atlanta, six of whom were Asian, your activism shouldn’t stop too. Once the reports of attacks on Asian people are no longer on national news, you shouldn’t stop speaking about them. Stopping Asian hate isn’t a trend. Activism shouldn’t be a trend. Where are all your black squares and “blm” captions now? Where will your #StopAAPIHate or #StopAsianHate be in six months? At the end of the day you may feel better about yourself because you shared one post on social media or included “StopAsianHate” in your bio, but while you live life jumping from one activism trend to another, the marginalized populations that you claim to be an ally to will continue to silently fight.

To all the people that are suddenly allies now, don’t lie. If you don't’ acknowledge the role that you’ve played in perpetuating racism, stereotypes, and hate against Asian American populations, then you’re lying to yourself and the people you’re claiming to support. So go ahead and share that post or shop at Asian-owned businesses, but don’t lie. And you better have that same energy when StopAsianHate is no longer a trend.