Sandra Oh’s Impassioned Speech at a Stop Asian Hate Rally Should Not Be Missed
"One way to get through our fear is to reach out to our communities."
Killing Eve star Sandra Oh attended a Stop Asian Hate rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s Oakland neighborhood on Saturday, March 20th, and delivered an impassioned speech about how grateful she is to finally unite with her fellow Asian Americans and allies to finally “voice our fear and our anger” about the racism and acts of violence that have been lodged at the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community for decades.
“Pittsburgh, I am so happy and proud to be here with you, and thank you to all the organizers for organizing this just to give us an opportunity to be together and to stand together and to feel each other,” Oh said, per CBS Pittsburgh.”For many of us in our community, this is the first time we are even able to voice our fear and our anger, and I really am so grateful to everyone willing to listen.”
Oh continued, “I know many of us in our community are very scared, and I understand that. And one way to get through our fear is to reach out to our communities. I will challenge everyone here, if you see something will you help me?”
She then led a group chant: I am proud to be Asian.
The number of hate crimes and reports of violence against the AAPI community has shot up drastically between March 2020 and February 2021 due to the language and rhetoric surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. On March 16th, eight people were shot and killed at three Asian massage parlors in Georgia, which, paired with videos of elderly AAPI community members being shoved, beaten, and verbally assaulted, caused a public outcry to put an end to Asian hate.
Before attending the rally, Oh posted a message to her Instagram account. “Friends and fellow AAs, I send loving kindness and support to the families of the eight souls murdered in Georgia on March 16th. And to all victims of racist violence.”
“I am devastated and profoundly angry,” Oh wrote. “I know many of you are scared, but let us not be afraid. Remember #ItsAnHonorJustToBeAsian.” She then called upon all her fans and followers to work together to #StopAsianHate.
Oh also provided links to resources so followers can educate themselves and donate to the #StopAsianHate cause, including #StopAsianHate GoFundMe account, which already raised over $66,000 for the Asian American Federation Inc., as well as the AAPI Community Fund GoFundMe, which has raised a massive sum of $3.1 million for those affected by hate crimes.
