Looking Beyond May
After 6,603 hate incidents reported in little over a year, a fatal shooting in Atlanta, and the celebration of Asian Pacific Islander (API) Heritage Month, we have reached the end of mainstream media’s interest in API topics.
But just because the heat of the moment has died down, it doesn’t mean support for the API community and collective activism should too.
This past year has shown us what ‘too late’ looks like — what could happen if we don’t recognize harm and respond and prevent it.
It has shown us that “a proof of pain is needed for a cent of sympathy,” as my friend so honestly put it.
The hype has diminished, but the work is not over.
API activists and organizations will continue to fight for their communities — just like they have been doing for decades — to respond to and prevent the ‘too late’ so that a proof of pain is not needed. It is our responsibility to continue supporting them.
