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Asian People Need To Stop Abusing and Killing Black People
Asians cannot demand solidarity from Black people without confronting their own anti-blackness
2020 was a year of solidarity between Asian and Black Americans. Racists spread hatred towards Asians, blaming them for the COVID virus. Our president calling the virus “Kung flu” certainly didn’t help. There were so many instances of Asians being attacked that the hashtag #StopAsianHate emerged. Black people in particular seemed supportive of the campaign, knowing very well how it feels to be treated as a disease.
And then, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and other Black people were all murdered in the name of white supremacy. The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter became popular, with many Asians showing support and encouraging their friends and family to debunk the anti-blackness within themselves, acknowledging that it was a long-standing issue in their communities.
For a brief few months, we were all united against white supremacy, as we should be. But then the lockdowns ended, and we were forced to go on with our daily lives. The hashtags dissolved, the conversations stopped, and we silently went back to the status quo.
The lessons taught in 2020 didn’t seem to make a long-lasting impression on anyone…
