We Will Not Be Silenced

Since we first set foot on American soil, 

Asian Americans have been told a lot of things. 

We have been told that this country is equal. 

We have been told that we should be grateful. 

We have been told that we’re the “model minority.” 

We have been told that we’re not a minority at all.

We have been told that the racism we experience isn’t real.

That our people aren’t targeted. That our communities aren’t underserved.

That our lack of representation and agency in the country and corporations we helped build,

is more than what we deserve.

This narrative, this lie, has gone on for generations.

And, with the strength our ancestors gave us, we have taken it in stride. 

We have continued living. We have continued building. 

We have continued dreaming of a day when those who define us by their own misguided narrative

 will see us for who and what we truly are - integral, equal, Americans.

We have been excluded. We have been ignored. We have been silenced.

The Silence Ends Here.

Because the truth is not what we have been told.

The truth is that our communities are facing poverty, evictions, 

wide-spread systemic lack of language access, and a lack of accessible healthcare.

The truth is that Asian elders and women are afraid to walk alone at night.

The truth is that we have seen violence against the Asian American community. 

But it is not the first time we have experienced the bitter taste of prejudice. 

Since we have been in this country we have faced racism 

in immigration, in the courts, in our streets, in our universities, in our jobs, and in the media. 

Now, we are sharing OUR stories and speaking OUR truths. 

And those truths do not come with requests. They come with demands.

For safety. For equality. For equity. For justice.

 For a seat at the table we helped build.

And We Will Not Be Silenced.

We call on Asian Americans and all people of conscience

to stand up, speak out, and demand to be heard.

We will not be silenced about the racism we face.

We will not be silenced about the hate crimes committed against us.

We will not be silenced as the ”model minority” while our communities live in poverty.

We will not be silenced and whitewashed in the media.

We will not be silenced and typecast in the entertainment industry.

We will not be silenced in the corporations built on our backs.

We will not be silenced while our people are scapegoated for political gain.

We will not be silenced in the fight for immigration reform.

We will not be silenced in the record of our nation’s history.

We will not be silenced in the country we call home.

We will speak. We will march. We will fight.

Until our love of this nation is shown back in kind.

Today, we break the silence.

Today, we will be heard.