Citation From the February 7, 2021, edition of MSNBC's American Voices with Alicia Menendez
ALICIA MENENDEZ (ANCHOR): Daniel Wu, please tell us more about the reward that you and the other Daniel posted on social media and what you want people to understand about the seriousness of this incident.
DANIEL WU (ACTOR AND PRODUCER):Yeah, we put up the reward because we didn't see enough action coming from the authorities to try and thwart these crimes that’s been happening increasingly since the rise of COVID. And so, we decided -- Daniel Dae Kim and I decided that we needed to take action as leaders of our community to make a statement that we're not going to take this anymore and that we need to take action and rise up.
MENENDEZ: Daniel Dae Kim, The Asian community has been hit hard by this pandemic, not just because of high death rates from the virus but studies found Asian Americans have been more affected by pandemic-related unemployment than any other racial group. Then you add to that these violent attacks. How else have you watched racism affect your community during this pandemic?
DANIEL DAE KIM (ACTOR): Well, it's been particularly difficult for our elderly community because not only are they affected by, you know, underlying conditions that would affect their health and make them scared to go out and interact with other people. Now they are subjected to being fearful to walk outside to be attacked. And so, the interesting thread about all of these attacks is that they are against an 84-year-old man, a 91-year-old man, a 61-year-old Filipino man was attacked in New York and had his face slashed just last week. A woman in Minnesota in her 90s was slapped and knocked to the ground and then kicked repeatedly in the face. These are ways in which it just makes our community fearful to interact, to be outside, and it actually silences the community. And that's why we're really grateful to you, Alicia, for allowing us to amplify this issue and shine a light on what's going on.
MENENDEZ: I'm so happy you're here, you know, Amanda, I had three friends ping me in the last 24 hours to make sure I had seen your video calling for time and attention to be paid to this issue. That video has since gone viral. And as much of this conversation is about violence, it is about hate and it is about invisibility. What do those of us who want to stand in solidarity need to understand about how those forces are conspiring in this moment?
AMANDA NGUYEN (CO-FOUNDER, RISE): We are in a moment of reckoning, and we get to decide what kind of country we are, what kind of people we are. I urge people to wake up and choose love. I know it sounds really corny, but the opposite of love isn't hate. It's apathy. Silence erases our humanity. Yet it roars through the head of every Asian American as they step out the door and are afraid of getting slashed on the subway, getting burned alive on the street, or slaughtered by complete strangers.
How many more people need to be killed in order for the media to think we are worthy of a story? There is a new Asian American movement emerging and we are not going to be silent anymore. We are not your model minority. We are human. And we deserve equal dignity. So stop killing us, and speak us into the consciousness of this country. I am calling on the better angels of our nature -- whoever you are, wherever you are -- to denounce this violence and say that Asians are humans, too. And to the politicians, live up to the creed of this country. Be the leader you promised us to be. Denounce racial hatred crimes. We are more than a special interest group for your ballot box. We are Americans.
MENENDEZ: Daniel Dae Kim, attacks against Asians have been happening for months now. You laid some of that out. Amanda laid some of that out. Of course. There is incredible diversity within the Asian American community. Diversity of country of origin, of language, of immigration status. What then are the conversations that are happening inside of Asian and Asian American communities about what you're watching happen?
KIM: That is a great question. You know, what's interesting is that we are not monolithic as Asian Americans. At the same time, those who are attacking us really don't see that either. They attack us because we look vaguely Asian. And so, the conversations we've been having amongst ourselves are the focus on uniting all of us. You know, if we are being seen as somehow easy targets, then we need to come together and figure out the solutions together along with the media, along with our legislators, along with our district attorneys. It needs to be a comprehensive solution to this problem along with our leaders in the African American community and the white community. It needs to be everyone.
MENENDEZ: Daniel, I take Amanda's point to heart about the pain that comes with that invisibility and the need for all of us to do better. What does doing better look like, Daniel?
WU: Well, I think it starts with empathy for the situation. And understanding that we are a community that's under attack and recognizing that. That is the first step. And then from there taking steps to help what's happening to our community. We are being attacked on all sides by all types of people. And so, we need to stop that as soon as possible. The first thing is to make sure that everyone recognizes that that is happening. I know there's been so much in the news these days. So much craziness going on. It's hard to see all of that. But we are crying out for help, and we are crying out for people to lend a hand to help us with our plight.
MENENDEZ: Amanda, you have President Biden's plans on racial equality include a memorandum acknowledging condemning increased anti-Asian discrimination. Let's take a listen to what he had to say.
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MENENDEZ: Amanda, I recognize it is impossible to quantify the damage, to measure the damage that has already been done. But what will it take from the Biden administration and lawmakers to change this?
NGUYEN: Look, I'm grateful to President Biden, and justice looks different for different people. What I'm here to fight for is to get more stories like this covered. Justice from the Justice Department is a start. But there is also a long history in this country of othering and erasing Asian Americans. Teach our history in schools. In the 1800s we built the railroads that connect America yet we were lynched in one of the largest lynchings in U.S. history. In the 1900s, we fought in World War II yet we were rounded up like animals in internment camps. And obviously this past year, thousands of hate crimes have happened. We, too, sing America. We were promised equality in this country and quite frankly, it is betrayal of the very fundamental tenet of what it means to be American if people stay silent in the face of hate.