Today, in the aftermath of the violence of Charlottesville and the unadulterated hatred displayed there by one of the largest meetings of white supremacists in recent time, I took a scroll through my Facebook newsfeed. I’m pretty content with the little echo chamber of inclusivity, support, and PoC celebration I have created and I was pleased to see so many perspectives, so many reshares from PoC, so much amplification, and so much support as we reached out to each other. In a way, my newsfeed is like a microcosm of the world I’m trying to shape when I step outside my bubble and educate.
It also shows me where I need to address shortcomings and call in (or call out). First thing on my to do list today was a quick scroll through recent posts of some borderline folks who claim to be in it for racial justice but who are really just white feminists and white liberals. Too many kitchen wins, Amazon finds, and idyllic childhood observations and not enough amplification of Charlottesville. If you’re living your life unaffected this weekend your privilege bubble is not welcome in my space, especially if you’ve been on my friends list for awhile.
Deleting some white feminists took a weight off of my shoulders, which is important to me in my personal Facebook space. It’s like coming back home after stepping out of the office that is the utterly exhausting, ridiculous, whiteness of social and racial justice education groups. So, unfriend and don’t let the door hit you on the way out. And please, please, PLEASE do not get into my inbox with the same tired lines: “I haven’t been on much this weekend.” “I don’t like posting political things.” “I’ve been busy.” “I’m afraid of my family.” Go tryhard somewhere else.
Predictable white mediocrity aside, there was something else that stood out to me when I checked my newsfeed.
Asians. Where were you?
This isn’t a case of not all, but I’m lucky to have a lot of elevated Asian folks in my life, the ones that challenge me to ABU (Always Be Unpacking), consider the complexity of Asian identity, challenge anti-blackness within and without our community, and always come out swinging. But if I’m honest with myself, my group of friends with these qualities is smaller than it should be. The posts coming from my black friends were not the same coming from the majority of my Asian friends. There’s no nice way to say it, but many of my moderate socially aware Asian friends’ posts sounded white as hell.
I feel like this PSA is needed. Asian people: You are NOT white. White supremacists hate you because you are NOT white. White nationalists hate you because you are not white. Nazis hate you because, you are definitely not Aryan because you. Are. Not. White.
If you’re sitting down to Sunday dinner thinking, well, Charlottesville is a shame but it doesn’t effect me, you are dead fucking wrong. Amplifying some voices, donating a few dollars, posting some links like some disconnected and dispassionate white ally is not enough. Where is the anger? The outrage? The movement of a people faced with groups that would gladly see them removed from the United States? You passion to protect yourselves and your children from the white wave of hate.
Denial isn’t going to keep you safe, fellow Asians. And I’m really looking at you, East Asians. Korean, Japanese, and Chinese folks, get your shit together. White supremacists have commented on our qualities as being ideal as allies in their racial genocide. We are affected by the hubris of our privilege, and thus are easy targets for white exploitation. And we welcome it because it’s an affirmation of our privilege, of our model minority status, of our proximity to whiteness.
Asians Americans are not known for protesting. We will sometimes show up for one of our own but fall short when it comes to actions in solidarity. In that way we are selfish and self-protecting, prioritizing a buffer of privilege over the chance of failure if we show up and stand up. We are too afraid of losing what we are given by white supremacy to stand in solidarity with other oppressed and marginalized people. That cowardice and self-preservation through silence and compliance needs to end.
Be vocal. Challenge your elders. Show them Letters for Black Lives and have a conversation about how they can unpack their anti-blackness. Explain how Asians have long been used as a wedge by white supremacists to destroy solidarity amongst PoC. Tell them that the lies white supremacy has fed us are shit and we are just as sub-human to white supremacists as black folks, as Jewish folks, as indigenous and Muslim and Latinx folks and LGBT and anyone who isn’t white, cis, straight, and Christian. Join a movement or go to a protest. Organize. Show up. Take the risks.
The time of being passive and permissive is through. We need to be angry, aggressive, and loud. We need to spearhead instead of following and depending on the work and strength of black and brown folks. We need to do the heavy lifting.
In order to fight white supremacy, people of color need to be joined in solidarity. Asians need to work on themselves, on their families, and on their communities to unpack their anti-blackness, to erase the model minority myth as a shield. We need to be better allies to our black and brown comrades so we can all stand together and rise together and defeat white supremacy together.
This is a call for action. A call to end the apathy and the passive observation. Yes, allyship to other marginalized groups is important, but stripping away the denial that we are unaffected is important as well.
Wake up, Asians, and come out swinging.
