Activism

Hundreds Come to Marin Rally to Stop Asian Hate

“We are here to stand against race-hate and crime against Asian Americans, and against official policies that do not recognize Asian Americans as equal members of society.” Asian Americans need to stick together to fight the many biases, violence, and hate that is directed toward them, Phan said.

Published

3 years ago

April 9, 2021

Mia Lane

Left: Jean Chan, Nhan Phan. Right from top: Sage Shih Kushner, Mary Jane Burke, Rev. Floyd Thompkins (Photos by Godfrey Lee)

Several hundred people gathered at the Rally to Stop Anti-Asian Hate to protest against the hatred and violence against Asians. They gathered on March 26 next to the Arizmendi Bakery in the San Rafael Courthouse Plaza.

The Asian American Alliance of Marin (AAAM), along with 17 other community organizations, organized and sponsored the rally.

The demonstrators shared a moment of silence to mourn and honor the eight victims, many of Asian heritage, who were slain at the spa massacres in Atlanta, Ga., on March 16. They are Soon Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Yue, Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, and Daoyou Feng.

Jean Chan, the founder of the Asian American Alliance of Marin, said “We stand with all communities for justice because any violence against a fellow human being is an act of violence against all of us.”

Nhan Phan, co-president of AAAM, said that “We are here to stand against race-hate and crime against Asian Americans, and against official policies that do not recognize Asian Americans as equal members of society.” Asian Americans need to stick together to fight the many biases, violence, and hate that is directed toward them, Phan said.

Sage Shih Kushner, a San Marin High School student, said “We need to contact and educate others about the culture of Asian Americans, what they have gone through, and what people have achieved to stop racial hate.”

Kushner is trying to create a community where Bay Area youth can learn what is harmful and hate is not OK. She is reaching out on social media to bring awareness.

Marin County Supervisor of Schools Mary Jane Burke said that Marin schools and teachers will put forward an ethnic studies requirement. Students will be required to take a course in order to graduate from high school.

“It is time that unless we stand up (for) democracy, we will lose it,” said Rev. Floyd Thompkins, the new pastor of St. Andrew Church in Marin City. “Unless we stand up (for) right, wrong will win.”

Thompkins said that Asians have experienced hatred in the past. Wrong things have been said about them, such as the myth of the Chinese being the ‘Model Minority.’ The reality is that the Chinese are just people trying to love and care for one another, like those eight people killed in Atlanta who were worked hard to support their families, Thompkins said.

Everyone has the right to live, be whole, and have liberty. We need to stand up and say ‘no’ when we hear negative mean spirited small ugly, violent things said toward others, he said.

“We need to create community, be politically proactive, and be a voice to the local legislator, or the school board, to stop Anti-Asian hate where it exists,” Thompkins said, “We must also stop the fetishism of Asian American women (who are often stereotyped and sexualized as being subservient, passive, and quiet).”

“This rally is a beginning point because in San Rafael, Marin County, we will not allow and accept hate as a way of life, as a rhetoric, or accept hate against any community, and that includes the Asian American community,” concluded Thompkins.

For more information on the rally, go to aaamarin.org/2021/03/26/official-press-release-rally-to-stop-anti-asian-hate/

Mia Lane

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

1 day ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

Published

1 week ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

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Oakland Schools Honor Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties

Every Jan. 30, OUSD commemorates the legacy of Fred Korematsu, an Oakland native, a Castlemont High School graduate, and a national symbol of resistance, resilience, and justice. His defiant stand against racial injustice and his unwavering commitment to civil rights continue to inspire the local community and the nation. Tuesday was “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” in the state of California and a growing number of states across the country.

Published

1 week ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

Fred Korematsu. Courtesy of OUSD.

By Post Staff

Every Jan. 30, OUSD commemorates the legacy of Fred Korematsu, an Oakland native, a Castlemont High School graduate, and a national symbol of resistance, resilience, and justice.

His defiant stand against racial injustice and his unwavering commitment to civil rights continue to inspire the local community and the nation. Tuesday was “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” in the state of California and a growing number of states across the country.
One OUSD school is named in his honor: Fred T. Korematsu Discovery Academy (KDA) elementary in East Oakland.

Several years ago, founding KDA Principal Charles Wilson, in a video interview with anti-hate organization “Not In Our Town,” said, “We chose the name Fred Korematsu because we really felt like the attributes that he showed in his work are things that the children need to learn … that common people can stand up and make differences in a large number of people’s lives.”

Fred Korematsu was born in Oakland on Jan. 30, 1919. His parents ran a floral nursery business, and his upbringing in Oakland shaped his worldview. His belief in the importance of standing up for your rights and the rights of others, regardless of race or background, was the foundation for his activism against racial prejudice and for the rights of Japanese Americans during World War II.

At the start of the war, Korematsu was turned away from enlisting in the National Guard and the Coast Guard because of his race. He trained as a welder, working at the docks in Oakland, but was fired after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Fear and prejudice led to federal Executive Order 9066, which forced more than 120,000 Japanese Americans out of their homes and neighborhoods and into remote internment camps.

The 23-year-old Korematsu resisted the order. He underwent cosmetic surgery and assumed a false identity, choosing freedom over unjust imprisonment. His later arrest and conviction sparked a legal battle that would challenge the foundation of civil liberties in America.

Korematsu’s fight culminated in the Supreme Court’s initial ruling against him in 1944. He spent years in a Utah internment camp with his family, followed by time living in Salt Lake City where he was dogged by racism.

In 1976, President Gerald Ford overturned Executive Order 9066. Seven years later, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco vacated Korematsu’s conviction. He said in court, “I would like to see the government admit that they were wrong and do something about it so this will never happen again to any American citizen of any race, creed, or color.”

Korematsu’s dedication and determination established him as a national icon of civil rights and social justice. He advocated for justice with Rosa Parks. In 1998, President Bill Clinton gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom saying, “In the long history of our country’s constant search for justice, some names of ordinary citizens stand for millions of souls … To that distinguished list, today we add the name of Fred Korematsu.”

After Sept. 11, 2001, Korematsu spoke out against hatred and discrimination, saying what happened to Japanese Americans should not happen to people of Middle Eastern descent.
Korematsu’s roots in Oakland and his education in OUSD are a source of great pride for the city, according to the school district. His most famous quote, which is on the Korematsu elementary school mural, is as relevant now as ever, “If you have the feeling that something is wrong, don’t be afraid to speak up.”