3 ways Asian-Americans can support right now
Re: George Floyd and the protests ablaze in our nation
I too have been asking myself what can I do?
I too feel at a loss.
I too feel uninformed.
I too feel guilty for going on with my life relatively unaffected.
I too feel…too many things.
That said, here are 3 things we can do:
- Discuss — Start with friends, then try your family. Some starter questions include “What do you think of the racial injustice going on right now?” or “How do you feel about the protests?” or linking a news article and asking for their opinion. While this seems like a tiny step, we must confront the default reluctance to discuss these issues (anti-Blackness, racial inequality) in our communities. Remember your voice can reach places others can’t.
- Learn — Commit to learning something new about the experience of being Black in America. Here is a reading list, here is an informative documentary (13th) and here is a list of social accounts to follow.
- Donate — Here is an organization that proposes police reform policy (in association with #BlackLivesMatter) and here is a long list of local bail funds. *I’m not an expert on nonprofits or bail funds, but believe organizations that enact policy change will make better use of my $ than a throwaway purchase.
Things not to do:
- Be oblivious
- Stay silent
- Convince yourself this does not concern us and therefore you “should not get involved”
Involvement doesn’t always mean physically joining a protest. There’s a time and place for each our of collective skills & energies and we will in fact need all of those to confront this.
Your efforts may look quite different from your friend and that’s okay.
At the end of the day, every bit — even reading a quick post to understand a new perspective — helps.
This is going to be a long process and whether we like it or not, we’re in it just as much as the next hyphenated American over.
Recognize your role. Do your part. Time to show up.
