Black Lives Matter

We stand in solidarity with the black community and will speak up for our Black and Brown brothers and sisters.

​What is Black Lives Matter?
Black Lives Matter is an international human rights movement, originating in the African-American community, that campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards black people. 

Why not All Lives Matter? The black community is disproportionately affected by: mass incarceration, income inequality, workplace discrimination, climate change, gentrification of their neighborhoods, police brutality, coronavirus deaths, and many more societal and political inequities. This is because historically, the American judicial and political systems were founded with the objective of discriminating against certain people based on skin color. In order to achieve equity for this community, we must acknowledge and take action on the idea that Black Lives do indeed Matter, despite this country’s systems that disproportionately discriminate against the black community. So, until Black Lives Matter in practice in America, it is inaccurate and unjust to say that all lives matter.

The Problem: Anti-Blackness in the Asian Community

Anti-blackness has been pervasive in the Asian and Asian-American communities for decades due to white supremacy. As referenced in a Brown University article on Asian American antiblackness, in the years following the Civil War, Asian immigrant workers in white-owned plantations were considered the better laborer because they were more docile and obedient than black laborers. This created a sense of competition between racial minorities; it was fueled by the idea that the race which best supported white supremacy would be the most “preferred” race to work with and reward. This paradigm has continued through American history to this day. 

Below we’ve identified the major symptoms of white supremacy and anti-blackness within Asian American communities. This list is a summary of examples listed in this Medium article on ways the Asian community perpetuates anti-blackness.

• Model Minority Myth: Suggests that Asian Americans are the “model minority” because they have achieved monetary and social capital in American society through sheer hard work and determination. This framework pits the Asian American community against the black and brown community by dictating how racial minorities should achieve the “American dream” in a white society, thereby burying the underlying problem of systemic racism in our country. The model minority myth is a framework that was conceived by a white society and designed to enforce white supremacy. 
• Proximity to Whiteness/Honorary Whiteness: The idea of Asian American privilege as a result of proximity to whiteness is a continuation of the model minority myth. Honorary whiteness suggests that the more a racial minority blends in with white American culture, the more privilege they will benefit from. This is the same white culture that perpetuates generational poverty, mass incarceration, and police brutality against the black community. So, when Asian Americans purposefully align themselves with white culture to receive more privilege, they are actively supporting anti-black systems. 
• Microaggressions & Implicit Bias: Oftentimes, the Asian American community engages in microaggressions as a result of aligning with white culture. This can take the form of calling neighborhoods “ghetto” or feeling “unsafe” in the presence of black people. Media and society have always painted the black community with negative stereotypes, and Asian Americans are just as prone to picking up on these implicit biases as white Americans are. 
• Cultural Appropriation & AAVE: Cultural appropriation is the act of taking parts of another culture (such as music, food, fashion, etc) to use for your own benefit and entertainment, without paying proper respect to its origins or actively fighting for the rights of that same culture. Regularly the Asian American community takes bits and pieces of black culture, such as Asian artists rapping, without acknowledging the origin and importance of it in black culture. Likewise, Asian Americans often use AAVE (African American Vernacular English), which is a vernacular that was created by and for the black community only. 

The Actions: Anti-Racism in the Asian Community

Asian Americans can engage in a variety of actions, non-actions, and self-reflection to fight anti-blackness and transition to active anti-racism. Below are just a few:

• Understand Systemic Racism: Research and educate yourself on how America’s judicial and political systems actively oppress black people. Some major terms to help you get started on your Google search are: Jim Crow, mass incarceration, compound poverty, coronavirus and the black community, gentrification. 
• Dismantle the Model Minority Myth: Understand the history and anti-black repercussions of the model minority myth. Actively challenge discussions with your friends and family when it’s suggested that “all Asians are smart and accomplished because they worked hard for it.” While one’s work ethic should not be invalidated, it’s important to focus the conversation on how this discourse pits Asians against other racial minorities and perpetuates white supremacy. 
• Reject White Privilege in Your Actions: Actively call-in your friends and family when they use their proximity to whiteness as a tactic to perpetuate racist systems. This can come in many forms: don’t call the police on a black person, don’t blame the black victim of police brutality, support affirmative action, and don’t overvalue white friends/customers while undervaluing black friends/customers. 
• Use Your Privilege to Amplify Black Voices: While privilege due to honorary whiteness should be rejected, it’s still important to understand that currently, Asian Americans still benefit from certain privileges. Use this privilege to amplify black creators, chefs, journalists, and voices. All communities of color will continue to be oppressed at varying degrees until the current system of white supremacy fundamentally changes; this can only happen when racial minorities stand in solidarity against white supremacy. 
• Confront Your Own Internalized Biases: Research microaggressions towards black people and recognize when your words and actions are inadvertently harming the black community. Also recognize that in both America and Asian countries, blackness is generally seen as inferior -- therefore, it’s very likely that the media you’ve consumed your whole life (regardless of which country the media is from) has racistly informed your internal biases towards black people. 
• Stop Culturally Appropriating Blackness: Research what black culture is and recognize where in your life you continually benefit or find entertainment from it. It’s okay to continue cooking their food or listening to their music; but pay proper respect to their history, give credit instead of erasing its origins, and stand in solidarity with the black community when they experience injustices. 

Resources & Tools

Understanding Black Lives Matter

中英版參考資料

• Media Type: Resources
• Languages: Chinese (Simplified), English

如何理解 Black Lives Matters？暴動是不被傾聽者的語言 (陳啟睿&周永康)

• Media Type: Article
• Languages: Chinese (Traditional), English

The New York Times: 1619

• Media Type: Podcast
• Languages: English
• Topic: History of slavery and modern day implications.

Just Mercy

• Media Type: Movie
• Languages: English, Chinese (simplified or traditional) subtitles
• Topic: Racism in our criminal justice system. 

13th

• Media Type: Documentary
• Languages: English, Chinese (simplified or traditional) subtitles
• Topic: Mass incarceration

History of the Asian and Black Relationship, and the Model Minority Myth

美国黑人运动｜贯穿美国黑人历史的种族资本主义与警察暴力

• Media Type: Article
• Languages: Chinese (Simplified)

Brown University: Asian Americans and the Legacy of Antiblackness

• Media Type: Article
• Languages: English

NBC News: Officer who stood by as George Floyd died highlights complex Asian American, black relations

• Media Type: Article
• Languages: English

Black Desi Secret History: The Secret History of South Asian and African American Solidarity

• Media Type: Article
• Languages: English

Medium: 30+ Ways Asians Perpetuate Anti-Black Racism Everyday

• Media Type: Article
• Languages: English

Taking Action: How to be Anti-Racist

Everyday Feminist: 6 Ways Asian Americans Can Tackle Anti-Black Racism in Their Families

• Media Type: Article
• Languages: English

Medium: 20+ Allyship Actions for Asians to Show Up for the Black Community Right Now

• Media Type: Article
• Languages: English

To Speak a Song: Strategies for South Asians to bring #BlackLivesMatter Home

• Media Type: Article
• Languages: English

It Starts at Home: Confronting Anti-Blackness in South Asian Communities

• Media Type: Facilitation Guide
• Languages: English

South Asians for Black Lives Matter

• Media Type: Facilitation Guide
• Languages: English

取代報警的12個策略 / 取代报警的12个策略

• Media Type: Article
• Languages: Chinese

Asian American Expression and Support for Black Lives

18 Million Rising Letter

• Media Type: Letter
• Languages: Chinese (Simplified)

请点击此链接了解更多关于「黑人的命也是命」及请愿签名以及个人捐款等事宜

• Media Type: Article
• Languages: Chinese (Simplified)

Medium: Letters for Black Lives

• Media Type: Collaborative online campaign
• Languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Hmong, and more. 

Chinese American: A Letter from a Yale student to the Chinese American Community

• Media Type: Article
• Languages: English, Chinese

National Organizations You Can Donate To

If you have the means to donate, please consider donating to these organizations:

Campaign Zero is working to change police policy through data-driven research and calls to action.

Black Lives Matter is at the forefront of the movement, working to bring justice and freedom to the Black community.

NAACP is working “to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.



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Note: Any linked resources and tools are property of the indicated organization, not Send Chinatown Love Inc.