"흑인의 목숨은 소중하다." It's Korean for "black lives matter." But the literal translation is "The lives of black people are precious." And they are. And as a culture, we're not loud enough about this. (1)
Asian people -- but specifically Korean people -- do not get to stay silent right now. If you think we're not part of the violence visited upon black bodies, think about every ad for "skin whitening" products you've seen. (2)
Think about the ways in which K-pop has marketed the sounds of R&B and doowop and rap -- and hired black dance choreographers -- while centering faces that (although complicated and itself worthy of its own thesis-level cultural/anthropological discourse)... (3)
...have been surgically altered to lean toward Caucasian features. Think about Latasha Harlins in the lead-up to the LA riots. (4)
We're all just trying to live our lives, make a decent living, breathe clean air, drink clean water, eat decent food, keep children clothed and fed and bathed, stay healthy, find a few hours here and there for amusement and happiness and an alleviation of stress. (5)
Except one group of people have an infinitely harder time doing those things because we continue to be okay worshipping at an altar that centers whiteness and white bodies and the white experience. (6)
You don't have to go out to protest if you can't. I'm not in a position where I can expose myself to any risk from Covid right now. I get it. But you don't have to stay silent. (7)
When your older relatives say racist things or try to justify police brutality, it is not okay for you to give them a pass. Remind them: There but for the grace of God go I. Black people have been taking the front line of racist violence for generations. (8)
The only reason Asian people have been buffeted on any level is because of this. Say it over and over until our people understand. (9)
This is a battle between ALL OF US and racists. Centering the "black" in "black lives matter" isn't even scratching at the absolute bare minimum we owe. (10/)
ADDENDUM: A small group of people are getting very upset, so let me clarify my meaning: I for sure am *mostly* talking about Korean- and Asian-AMERICANS raising their voices as allies bc of what's happening in AMERICA right now (11)
I know the history of "white" skin preference. But the origin doesn't matter. Globally, we shd celebrate many types of beauty. This affects all of us. I'm not blaming Korea, I'm asking my community to be more inclusive. (12)
I'm also not blaming Kpop. Don't mistake my words as hateful. I grew up seeing/hearing lot of racism from Koreans & Kore-Ams against blacks. This was my personal experience, that SOME Koreans/Kore-Ams are racist, esp older ones. Younger generation is changing for the better (13)
My point is: in history of AMERICA, black people have always been hit with the most racist violence. Asians get it, too... & every POC. But black people have dealt with it so much more... and bc of that, rest of us POC got hit a little bit less. (14)
I'm just asking my community and the communities of all Asians, Asian-Americans, to come together right now and show support, even if it's a small thing like telling racist relatives that it's not okay to be racist. (15)
It's the least we can do when we borrow black art and music. It's the least we can do when we are non-white POC in a world where colonial legacies are still present. (16)
