Yesterday, I put down my phone and was horrified by the recent news surrounding Asian hate crimes. Sadly, my first was: “Nothing from my childhood has changed?”
Growing up in Iowa, micro-aggressions and stereotyping became daily occurrences: I saw my dad’s broken English taunted and remembered my sisters and I being bullied for our eye shape.
My parents ingrained in me to ignore the racist comments and rise above by working hard to succeed. I have since learned that ignoring only hides what we know. It feels most authentic to me to speak with action. I created Savor Beauty as a brand committed to celebrating our skin and bridging my Korean heritage with my American upbringing.
Since then, we’ve been able to support causes that uplifted women, empowered their voices and we will continue to do so. Amidst the news yesterday, we’ve made a donation to the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund. Please join us if you can.
To all Asian kids who are struggling, I speak to you now: if someone puts you down for any reason, including your race, tell someone you trust. If you feel something is not right, it’s okay to process and then reach out to trusted people or sources to share and report. And finally, know that you are not alone. By sharing the discrimination you are going through, you help with your and our collective healing and change process. #stopasianhate
Below are some resources we've gathered in light of the news to continue our re-education.
x Angela Jia Kim
Founder of Savor Beauty
Literature
- Orientalism by Edward Said
- The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
- Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
- Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
- Clay Walls by Ronyoung Kim
- The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
- Marriage of a Thousand Lies by SJ Sindu
Films + Documentaries
- Minari (2020)
- Asian Americans (2020)
- The Chinese Exclusion Act (2018)
- May Ziade: The Life of an Arab Feminist (2018)
Anti-Racist Organizations + Resources
- Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (Grassroots organization that offers legal aid and education for As-Ams)
- National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (Educating womxn on health, policy, immigration, and economic justice)
- Asian American Advocacy Fund (Advocating for policy changes in Georgia)
- Asian Mental Health Collective
- AAPI Women Lead (Telling As-Am womxn stories)
- Protect Chinatown NYC (Fighting to keep Chinatown open)
- Safe Walks NYC (Offering walking companions in NYC)
- Asian-Am Advancing Justice Atlanta (Protecting As-Am rights in ATL-area)
- National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (Advocating for policy change for women's health and immigration policy)
- Heart of Dinner (Food delivery to Chinatown's elderly)
— March 18th, 2021