. Posted by Sherrie Thai by Shaireproductions.com .
Stop Asian/AAPI Hate Poster Art. Free Printable File Download is available:
Stop Asian Hate: https://shaireproductions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/StopAsianHate-Download.jpg
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can be taught to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
-Nelson Mandela
Someone asked me why Asian Americans haven’t spoken up against the racism they’ve experienced until now. We have, but no one listened.
While Asians have experienced racism in America since the 1800s, issues that were brought up, were often dismissed–that their experiences didn’t matter and were “statistically insignificant”. In other cases, some accounts of racism go unchecked and unreported due to fear/retaliation, language barriers, or thinking that it wouldn’t matter as nothing could be done. Even when speaking up, the suppression olympics and the Model Minority stereotype creates the notion that the Asian voices don’t matter, because of the false perception of financial success or white-adjacency, when some immigrant Asians struggle with poverty and are marginalized with lack of resources and support. When stereotypes and hate-based jokes spread, internalized hate festers, escalating into micro-aggressions and violence. This anti-Asian hate didn’t form only within the last year with the coronavirus hate-speech (blaming Asians for the virus), but it has added fuel which unfortunately, normalized overt racism. The portrayal of Asians in media/Hollywood have perpetuated racist stereotypes of being considered the enemy, perpetual foreigners, culturally interior, exotic fetishes, submissive, punchlines and during the past year, as a political pawn. Historically, Asians in America and immigrants have always been blamed for various misfortunes (leading to the Chinese Exclusion Act, lynchings, Japanese internment camps, murders, etc), and it seems that history is repeating itself. It’s unfortunate that it took multiple deaths through video footages for mainstream media and politicians to pay attention. However, with social media giving power to people to mobilize, there is more conversation on racial justice, and thus, more accountability.
We have to do better–speak up for what is right and to work towards a better future. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but this is a start. Words and actions matter. We ALL deserve to be here.
Steps to combat the hate:
-Educate Yourself
-Become an Ally
-Mobilize (speak up, volunteer, donate)
If you see racism on the streets, don’t be a bystander. @ihollagram (with support from @hateisavirus and @advancingjustice_aajc) have created Bystander Intervention Training.
-Combat racism with solidarity (interracial dialogue and understanding)
-Spread the love and support each other: Check in on the AAPI community/friends, have conversations, support AAPI-owned businesses, ultimately, be a positive force.
#stopasianhate #stopaapihate #standwithasians #hateisavirus #stopracism #asianamerican @acttochange
