Today (3/31/21), a 65-year-old Asian American woman was attacked in my city. Again this happened. This time, at 11:40 AM, in front of a luxury condo building in NYC, in full view of an on-duty security guard (and other bystanders). “Building staff members who witnessed the attack did not intervene.“
I feel rage. And fear. And helplessness. And then anger again. I was drawing the final panels of this tribute to the March 16th Atlanta spa shooting victims when I read about this most recent attack. And in the midst of my rage, I also feel deep sadness.
The (yet) unnamed woman who was attacked today. The nine victims whose stories I’d begun to learn while preparing for today’s post. I cannot stop thinking about these women as if they were my own family—my neighbors—my friends.
More info: Instagram
They were providers to their children and mothers, sisters, wives, husbands—they were human beings with joy, accomplishments, and dreams.
And for the six Asian women who remind me of my own mother—I cannot stop thinking about strength and vulnerability: the strength of these women’s work and how vulnerable they were to structural racism and sexism.
And for the six Asian women who remind me of my own mother—I cannot stop thinking about strength and vulnerability: the strength of these women’s work and how vulnerable they were to structural racism and sexism.
Along with friend and fellow Chinese-American writer Chen Gu (who helped me write this caption), I wanted to honor their stories. Their murderer may not have seen their humanity. But we do.
I’ve been thinking about how I can contribute to fixing this goddamn world that feels so, so broken. For the time being, I can learn more about anti-Asian hate. This Try Guys video was really eye-opening.
I can use my platform (a modest-sized webcomic on IG) to advocate for change. And I can donate what I can afford (for me, one month of Patreon earnings) to “Stop AAPI Hate” (or similar organizations).
I don’t think I’m alone in feeling heartbroken by every new violence report against our community. We are not alone. We can do this together, step by step and action by action. I hope that the resources I shared here are of some help.
With love from New York, Linda. #StopAsianHate