Virtual 10K to #StopAsianHate

On January 16th, 2021, around 6pm in Downtown Flushing, Queens on the corner of 40th Road and Prince Street, I had just picked up dinner takeout from a local favorite restaurant. As I was walking back to my brother's car, a 6' tall man sucker punched me in the face and made a racial slur. My hands were full. My face and chin were in pain. My body was in shock. I couldn't identify the man because it was dark and he was wearing a dark hoodie and face mask. When I returned to the car and told my brother, he was in anger and motivated to find the perpetrator. I couldn't describe him, but I could still see his eyes. My pain was sinking in both physically and emotionally. I realized this was the first time I was physically assaulted by a stranger because of my race. This is not okay.

What did I do? That same evening, I reported the hate incident on the Stop AAPI website. Founded in 2020, this nonprofit organization runs the Stop AAPI Hate Reporting Center, which tracks incidents of discrimination, hate and xenophobia against Asian Americans Pacific Islanders.

Unfortunately, my story is one of thousands in the past year where there's been a 1900% increase in hate crimes motivated by anti-Asian sentiment in New York. My brother Derek and I are born and raised in Queens, NY as first generation Chinese Americans and NYC continues to be our family's home throughout this pandemic. We never imagined we would have to worry about our parents' or friends' safety in our own neighborhood.

Together, we are committed to run a virtual 10K together by April 1st to raise money to support Stop AAPI Hate (https://stopaapihate.org). 100% of donations will go towards Stop AAPI Hate/Chinese for Affirmative Action.
BE OUR ALLY to raise awareness for hate crimes against the AAPI community.
Stop AAPI Hate is a national coalition aimed at addressing anti-Asian discrimination amid the pandemic, was founded by the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON), Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) and San Francisco State University’s Asian American Studies Department. Between March 19 and October 7, 2020, Stop AAPI Hate has received 2,738 reported incidents of racism and discrimination targeting Asian Americans across the U.S. Visit www.stopaapihate.org

Did you know?  The Chinese for Affirmative Action was founded in 1969 to protect the civil and political rights of Chinese Americans and to advance multiracial democracy in the United States. Today, CAA is a progressive voice in and on behalf of the broader Asian American and Pacific Islander community. We advocate for systemic change that protects immigrant rights, promotes language diversity, and remedies racial injustice. Learn more at www.CAASF.org

Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to us.