BEING
BEING LED
BEING LED BY ASIAN YOUTH. MANY YOUNG REPORTS ON TWO GENERATIONS FINDING THEIR
VOICES ARE NOT EVEN UP.
IN MARCH THEY SHOWED UP BY THE
HUNDREDS IN SEATTLE'S CHINATOWN
INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT REFUSE
TO STAY SILENT BY OUTRAGED OVER
THE GROWING NUMBER OF VIOLENT
ATTACKS, RACIST WORDS AND
HATEFUL RHETORIC AGAINST
ASIAN-AMERICANS PEOPLE YOUNG
AND OLD CAME TOGETHER TO SAY NO
MORE.
BUT I REMEMBER SEEING LIKE SOME
OF OUR ASIAN ELDERS IN THE BACK
TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH THE
MARCH AND I WAS LIKE OH YOU
LOOK LIKE ONE OF THEM HAD A
WALKER AND I WAS LIKE BE
CAREFUL OVER THE CRACKS, YOU
KNOW, LIKE WE'LL WAIT FOR YOU.
I THINK I REALLY SPOKE TO HOW
MUCH LIKE WE WANTED TO HEAR
EACH OTHER AND HOW MUCH WE
WANTED TO BE TOGETHER.
TWENTY YEAR OLD MADELINE MAGANA
IS ONE OF THE YOUNG ACTIVISTS
WHO ORGANIZED THIS RALLY.
SHE HAD NO IDEA HOW MANY PEOPLE
WOULD SHOW UP WITH ELDERS AND
HIGH PROFILE COMMUNITY LEADERS
EVEN THANKING HER JUST LIKE
WALKING AROUND AND SAYING LIKE
WHAT AN HONOR IT IS TO MEET ME
AND I'M LIKE NO, IT'S AN HONOR
TO MEET YOU.
THIS YOUNGER GENERATION
OF ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS
IS IGNITING A FIRE WITHIN
OTHERS AND LEADING A NEW WAVE
OF ACTIVISM.
I THINK THE REASON WHY IS
OFTENTIMES YOUTH IS BECAUSE
THEY'RE NOT WORKING.
THEY HAVE EITHER INSPIRED
IDEALISTIC BUT THAT'S HAPPENED
MANY TIMES.
YUDA PROFESSOR KONEY SO WHO
TEACHES ASIAN-AMERICAN STUDIES
REMEMBERS IT WAS ASIAN-AMERICAN
YOUTH IN THE 70S WHO PROTESTED
AGAINST CONSTRUCTION OF THE
KINGDOM AND ENDED UP PRESERVING
THE CHINATOWN INTERNATIONAL
DISTRICT.
THE REASON WHY WE HAVE THE
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HEALTH
SERVICES ASIAN COUNCIL REFERRAL
SERVICES AND ALL THESE OTHER
AGENCIES IN THE CHINATOWN
INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT IN FACT
ALL AROUND SOUTH SEATTLE IT'S
ALL BECAUSE OF YOUTH ACTIVISM
COMMUNITY ACTIVISM.
THE FIGHT AGAINST RACISM AND
BIAS IS NOTHING NEW TO
ASIAN-AMERICANS BUT NEVER
BEFORE HAD THEY EXPERIENCED
THIS LEVEL OF VIOLENCE AND HATE
ASIAN PIECES.
YOU ALL RIGHT THAT STARTED AT
THE BEGINNING OF THE COVID-19
PANDEMIC CASES ACROSS THE
COUNTRY INCLUDE PEOPLE BEING
PUSHED, BEATEN AND STABBED IN
BROAD DAYLIGHT BEING BLAMED FOR
THE CHINA VIRUS AND THE KUNG
FLU.
THE SHOOTINGS IN ATLANTA IN
MARCH THAT KILLED SIX ASIAN
WOMEN CRACKED OPEN THE GRIEF
AND ANGER AND SUDDENLY
CELEBRITIES, ATHLETES AND MAJOR
COMPANIES BEGAN SPEAKING OUT.
I ADMIT I RESIST SPEAKING ABOUT
THIS EVENTS OR EVEN THINKING
ABOUT THEM FOR FEAR
OF AWAKENING PAINFUL MEMORIES
FOR FLORENCE CHANG, THE CEO
OF MULTICAR, THE ATLANTA
MURDERS WERE THE TIPPING POINT
IN THIS LETTER TO HER
LEADERSHIP TEAM SHE FINALLY
TOLD THE STORY OF BEING A 15
YEAR OLD IMMIGRANT FROM TAIWAN
THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL SEARED
INTO HER MEMORY THEN PUT MY
CHINESE NAME WRITTEN ACROSS THE
ENTIRE CHALKBOARD AND SET FOLKS
TO SAY I DON'T KNOW WHO THIS
PERSON IS.
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO PRONOUNCE
HER NAME.
YOU CAN JUST IMAGINE POINT AN
ENTIRE CLASS BURST INTO
UNCONTROLLABLE LAUGHTER, RIGHT?
WELL, THE NEXT DAY MY PARENTS
CHANGE OUR NAMES TO ENGLISH
NAMES LIKE SO MANY IN THE ASIAN
CULTURE, SHE KEPT QUIET EVEN
INTO ADULTHOOD.
SHE DIDN'T EVEN SPEAK UP WHEN
HIRED AS A HIGH LEVEL EXECUTIVE
SHE WAS TOLD TO WORK WITH A
SPEECH COACH TO CORRECT HER
CHINESE ACCENT.
NOW IN HER 60S, IT'S THE
YOUNGER GENERATION INSPIRING
HER.
THEY'RE FIGHTING FOR THEIR
PARENTS.
WHAT THEY WANT IS TO LET THEIR
PARENTS KNOW IT IS OK TO SPEAK
UP AND THAT'S WHY MADELINE
MAGANA CONTINUES LEADING THIS
MOVEMENT ORGANIZING WEEKLY
RALLIES IS JUST A STARTING
POINT.
IT'S INSPIRING SEEING OTHER
ACTIVISTS, OTHER YOUTH
ACTIVISTS I WISH EVEN YOUNGER
ASIAN-AMERICAN VOICES