Dear World, Protect Asian Lives

Dear World,

The pandemic that has been going on for over a year now is nothing new. It has been a long time since schools shut down, people stuck at home and  losing their jobs, and many losing their lives to COVID. It feels as if this state that we are in will become the new normal, that things will never change and we will continue to be stuck inside. But the biggest issue right now is not the mere fact that we are around our family more, it is that some people’s family are being targeted for their race, for who they were born as. Asian hate crimes have increased immensely within the last two years because of the misconception that it is the “Asian’s fault” that covid is here and is still around. 

Asian Americans have felt the brute force that is being hated by the rest of the world, being put at fault for something that isn’t in their control. They are fearful, scared to leave their homes to go to the grocery store because so many of them are beaten and killed upon going outside. It is because of people like Brandon Elliot, a man so full of hatred, who decided to assault a 65 year old Asian American woman, telling her that she had no place in this country. Because of Robert Aaron Long, who felt that since he was “having a bad day,” he decided to  go into a spa and kill 8 women, 6 of which were Asian women.  Because of Darell Hunter, who just today as I’m writing this, went into a bakery and threatened to shoot Chinese people. These are only a few recent names that have been in the public, but there are so many more. I fear for my grandma, scared that if she goes anywhere by herself that someone would want to hurt her.

The COVID virus and this pandemic was not caused by a race. Asians did not create this virus, nor are they the reason it is here. There should not be a debate on whether or not they brought it here or who is responsible for the virus. People trying to pin blame on someone so that this whole situation can be rationalized. It is not, nor has it ever been, anyone’s fault. 

There are those that love our cultures, that eat our food, watch our shows, listen to our music, and wear our cultural clothing. But there is still a lack of people who want to help us in our time of need, when our people are being attacked and ridiculed. Please, if you find yourself indulging in Asian culture, I implore you to say something as the lives that created those things are being threatened. 

I’m writing this as a way to show you that those around you are suffering. That there are people that are currently at high risk and are being killed everyday. I’m urging you to take action. Please do not stay silent in our time of need. Your silence is loud. Asian Americans are not a virus, hate is a virus. Please protect Asian lives.

 

• culture
• Hate Crimes
• health
• protect asian lives
• race
• racism