Speak Up

The events of the past month have been difficult and at times, unbearable. With the murders of three African-Americans and the use of the police to threaten and intimidate another African-American man, I find myself at a loss of words. I’ll shut down, and my thoughts swirl.

I think of Ahmaud Arbery. 

I think of Breonna Taylor. 

I think of Christian Cooper. 

I think of George Floyd. 

Say their names. 

Know their names. 

Most of my thoughts are on what I can do. Where is my place in this fight? 

I’m not black. I’m not white. I’m Asian.

Because of how Asians in America have been treated, many  Asians assimilate to fit in; heads down, minding our own business, trying to prove our Americanness, hoping to avoid yet another attack or backlash or immigration exclusion or landowning restriction or concentration camp. This submissiveness has led, in part, to the myth of Asians being the model minority. 

I could easily buy into this myth and retreat. I have access to privilege that is given to me by white people because they believe I will behave myself. 

I bring this up because one of the police officers involved in George Floyd’s death is a Laotian-American man. An Asian man. Once again, I’m at a loss. 

But I won’t buy into this label that upholds white supremacy by silencing other ethnic groups through the timeless divide-and-conquer strategy that pits minority groups against one another. I will speak up!

Back in April, my sister-in-law told me about a group of moms in Meridian, Idaho who protested the Shelter-in-Place order. They rallied together on a Facebook group and went to a closed park, tore the police tape off and let their kids play on the playground. Three police officers showed up to tell these moms that they had to leave. Several moms challenged the officers, one even getting in an officer’s face. After he tried repeatedly to convince her to comply, she told him, “Arrest me for being in the park. Do it.” The police officer did and the moms yelled in protest. 

My sister-in-law told me that story to laugh about the stupidity of these people during Quarantine. I couldn’t find the humor because what I saw was white privilege. I explained that black persons too often are not given this degree of patience, and how likely it is that a black person would have been injured or worse, dead after this altercation.

White privilege allowed Sara Brady the choice to get arrested.

When she was arrested, white privilege allowed her to be arrested without force.

In the aftermath, White privilege gave Brady air time to make a public statement of apology.

White privilege allowed Brady to live to make an apology.

My sister-in-law didn’t see it until I spoke up.

My sister-in-law is part of a book club. All white women. They’ve been reading Little Fires Everywhere and my sister-in-law has been alone in speaking up about themes of white privilege in this story. The other women couldn’t see it. My sister-in-law shared with them my perspective on Brady’s arrest. 

A few weeks later, white supremacy murdered George Floyd.

Now they see it.

Speak up.

Speak up even when you feel like you don’t have the words.

Speak up if you’re not black.

Speak up if you are white.

Speaking up brings awareness to the inequality and the systems of white supremacy that oppress us and pit us against one another. Filipino-American rapper Ruby Ibarra said in her Black Lives Matter Instagram post, “ As non-Black POC and especially as Asian-Americans, we need to dismantle the anti-blackness in our communities. If the xenophobia towards Asian-Americans during this pandemic upsets you, all of this should too. All lives don’t matter unless Black lives matter!”

For more information on how to be apart of the solution, here is an Anti-Racism resource.