Hate crimes against the Asian community are on the rise. This influential line-up of women used their voices to raise awareness.
Attacks against Asian communities in America rose when it was reported that COVID-19 allegedly stemmed from markets in Wuhan, China. As of this writing, the California-based Stop Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAIP) Hate reported that there are about 3,800 reports of anti-Asian racist attacks since March 2020. Of these numbers, 68 per cent were cases against women.
In light of the devastating news, influential AAPI stars and allies have convened in the #AAPI Women Strong: Organizing Beyond A Hashtag forum in support of the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF), the only national organisation focused on building power with AAPI women and girls.
Read also: #StopAsianHate: Asian Celebrities Rally To Raise Awareness Following Atlanta Shootings
The event was graced by our very own Lea Salonga, former United States Senator and First Lady Hillary Clinton, author, activist, and model Padma Lakshmi, and actress and producer Lucy Liu.
Tatler has summed up the experiences and advocacies shared by these empowered women:
Lea Salonga
Stories on Anti-Asian racism are not new to award-winning actress and veteran broadway singer Lea Salonga. In a 2013 interview, it can be recalled that the Miss Saigon star opened up about her rejection for a My Fair Lady role because of her ethnicity.