Mom
Dad
Uncle, Auntie
Grandfather, Grandmother
We need to talk.
You may not have grown up around people who are Black, but I have.
Black people are a fundamental part of my life.
They’re my friends…
…my roommates…
…my classmates and teammates…
…my family.
Today, I’m scared for them.
This year, the American police have already killed more than 500 people.
Of those, 25% have been black, even though they only make up 13% of the population.
Earlier this week in Louisiana two police officers killed a man named Alton Sterling
while he sold CDs on the street.
The very next day in Minnesota a police officer shot and killed a Black man named Philando Castile
in his car during a traffic stop while his girlfriend and her four year-old daughter looked on.
Overwhelmingly, the police do not face any consequences for ending these lives.
This is a terrifying reality that some of my closest friends live with every day.
Even as we hear about the dangers that Black Americans face our instinct is to sometimes
point at all the ways that we’re different from them.
To shield ourselves from their reality, rather than empathizing.
When a policeman shoots a Black person you might think it’s the victim’s fault,
because you see so many images of them in the media as thugs and criminals.
After all, you might say…
“…we managed to come to America and build good lives for ourselves despite discrimination…
“…so why can’t they?” I want to share with you how I see things.
It’s true that we face discrimination for being Asian in this country.
Sometimes people are rude to us about our accents…
…or withhold promotions because they don’t think of us as leadership material…
…some of us are told we’re terrorists…
…but for the most part people don’t think “dangerous criminal” when we are walking
down the street.
The police do not gun down our children and parents for simply existing
This is not the case for our Black friends.
Many Black people were brought to America as slaves against their will.
For centuries their communities, families, and bodies were ripped apart for profit.
Even after slavery they had to build back their lives by themselves
with no institutional support
not allowed to vote or own homes and constantly under the threat of violence that continues
to this day.
In fighting for their own rights, Black activists have lead the movement for opportunities not
just for themselves but for us as well.
Black people have been beaten, jailed, even killed fighting for many of the rights that
Asian Americans enjoy today.
We owe them so much in return.
We are all fighting against the same unfair system…
…that prefers we compete against each other.
When someone is walking home and gets shot by a sworn protector of the peace, even if
that person’s last name is Liang…
…that is an assault on all of us. And on all of our hopes for equality and fairness…
…under the law.
For all these reasons I support the Black Lives Matter movement.
Part of that support means speaking up when I see people in my own community…
…or even my own family say or do things that diminish the humanity of Black Americans in this country.
I’m telling you this out of love because I don’t want this issue to divide us.
I’m asking you to try and empathize with the anger and grief of the fathers, mothers, and children
who have lost their loved ones to police violence.
To empathize with my anger and grief…
…to support me if I choose to be vocal and to protest.
To share this letter with your friends and to encourage them to be empathic, too.
As your child I am proud and eternally grateful that you took the long, hard journey to this country.
That you lived decades in a place that hasn’t always been kind to you.
You’ve never wished your struggles upon me.
Instead, you’ve suffered through a prejudiced America
to bring me closer to the American Dream.
But I hope you’d consider this:
The American Dream cannot only exist for your children.
We’re all in this together, and we cannot be safe until all of our friends, loved ones,
and neighbors are safe.
The American Dream that we seek is a place where all Americans can live without fear
of police violence.
This is the future that I want, and one that I hope you want, too.
With love and hope,
Your chidren