as an asian who graduated from nyu, i have to say asians were deeply anti-black, often looking to position ourselves as close to whiteness as possible. we have to do better, and part of that involves acknowledging our own privileges and power within an anti-black system. https://twitter.com/jjpxrk/status/1266293419808194561

for those who don't know, this is in response to this tweet that is disappointing, but not shocking. a lot of allyship from asians has been lip service, and behind closed doors the racism jumps out. saying "i'm not like the other asians" doesn't help. https://twitter.com/dawnofsaints/status/1266262469711761416?s=20

i mean, it's great if you're doing the work in the spaces you're in, but i've seen so many arguments focusing on individual exceptionalism that i feel like we forget racism, power, and privilege are systemic issues. and until those systems are dismantled, we continue to benefit.

yes, asians are not a monolith, and there is no singular asian community. but there are various asian groups and spaces, and across the board these spaces are entrenched with anti-blackness. we have to be ready to call this out and acknowledge our faults.

relevant end to this thread. and this includes all asians, not just asian americans. too many of us just want to go viral off allyship, when it should just be the baseline. speaking out with our platforms is meaningful, but it can't stop there. https://twitter.com/aasian/status/1266140295910965249?s=20

anyways, things you can do: talk to your asian friends about anti-blackness. call it out when it comes up. if you're a TA, club leadership, etc., use your power to shut down racism and actively speak against it. listen to the experiences of black students without saying "not me".

you can lead from any chair, even without being in leadership. in a class where a professor makes a racist remark? speak out about it. same goes for being a member of a club, greek life, fb group, etc. etc. take *action*. it matters even if it's not going to be tweeted about.