Fuck White Supremacy and Everything That Upholds It

The increasing amount of horrendous attacks on the Asian American and Pacific Islander community has left me heartbroken and more fearful than ever before. My anxiety has gone through the roof and caused me to question everyone that I see or interact with outside of my home. It pains me to look over my shoulder and wonder, Is anyone looking at me differently? Will that person hurt me because I'm Asian? So many questions and scenarios run through my mind because I don't want my parents, fiancé, or loved ones to worry about me or wake up to sad news.

I'm heartbroken because these women had lives. These women were simply being but this murderer couldn't care less. They were daughters, mothers, friends, and sisters to people that are mourning their loss. Regardless of their occupation or what they did to put food on their tables, all of them came to this country in hopes of a better life. They struggled and dreamed like everyone else in this world. Even now, I struggle to find the right words to describe how I feel because I am horrified. I'm crying as I type this but I hope people will remember that these women were invisible to society. They were seen as forgotten or something less than human because of what they did for a living and because they were Asian women. For so long, Asian women have been perceived as meek or obedient. We are reduced to exotic and hyper sexualized stereotypes that fill up people's sick fantasies. We are not seen as American or people. No matter how many generations live here or the fact that we've assimilated into a new culture and environment, America still refuses to see us anything more than "Other."

This needs to stop now. Society needs to listen when a community calls out and asks for help. America must depart from the racist stereotypes, puns, and jokes. The almost unseen but still heard micro-aggressions. America needs to face and embrace the fact that Asian Americans are here. Correction: we have been here and we are not a monolith. We are not a virus. Racism is a virus. Get your facts straight.