on violence and #StopAsianHate

Violence against Asians is cyclical. From a personal perspective, I recycled all of my childhood racism, bullying, and physical attacks & took it out on the football field or wrestling mat

1/

In grade school, I dealt with racial taunts and physical attacks in the boys' bathroom and playground. Years later, I eventually told my mom and she broke down in tears and told me to keep my head down and study hard.

I chose to fight back and lashed out.

2/

I spent my HS and college years embracing violence and took a dominating approach to show as many outsiders, not to f*ck with Asians. From putting school bullies in their place to bar fights in upstate NY, my actions caught up with me and I had to leave college for 1yr

3/

When I returned to @HamiltonCollege I no longer had the rage and felt the need to prove my dominance as I found solace in pursuing political science and public policy.

I soon realized that a public soapbox was much more impactful in addressing systemic racism.

4/

The point of this thread is that Asian Americans are resilient. We are hated and targeted today but we will find a way to bounce back tomorrow.

But it’s how we bounce back that matters.

5/

The HS/college version of me would want nothing more than an immediate sense of justice based on dominance.

The older me is focused on addressing the cause of hateful violence: declining social conditions.

6/

Asian Americans face a unique challenge to send a strong message that we won’t be targeted while bouncing back to end the vicious cycle of violence.

This is a difficult task but I’m confident @Grace4NY @LiuNewYork @yuhline + many more will move us in the right direction

7/