Following last week’s shooting in Atlanta that left six Asian American women dead, local activist groups came together Monday to show support for the Asian American community.
Every Monday, members of the Michiana Peace & Justice Coalition picket on the corner of Main Street and Jefferson Boulevard in downtown South Bend. This Monday, though, they held signs that said, “We stand with our Asian brothers and sisters,” and “Stop Asian hate.”
The Peace & Justice Coalition joined with Black Lives Matter – South Bend and the Michiana Alliance Against Racist and Political Oppression to show solidarity following a rise in violence against Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is not one group’s problem or another. This is everybody’s problem,” said Paul Mishler, an organizer with the Michiana Alliance. “The only way we get out of this is if we stand in solidarity with each other and if we make each other’s problems our own.”
Liang Cai is a professor of Chinese history at the University of Notre Dame. She said she rushed out of the house with her young daughter when she heard about the demonstration.
“I want my daughter to feel not only, you got one group of people who have hatred toward Asian Americans, but you have another group of people who support Asian Americans,” Cai said.
Cai said she wants her daughter to “feel that support,” and for her to grow up in an America “without discriminations against any group.”
“I chose to migrate here because I thought my daughter would have a fantastic future here in this country,” Cai said. “I established myself and my family here because we still have that ‘American dream.’ But the American dream should be without this kind of hatred.”
Contact Gemma atgdicarlo@wvpe.orgor follow her on Twitter at@gemma_dicarlo.
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