Pop Artists such as Rihanna, Ariana Grande, and Justin Timberlake Condemn AAPI Hate in Light of Atlanta Attacks
In light of the March 16th shooting in Atlanta, GA, and other attacks on the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities (AAPI), many musical artists have joined the growing chorus of people condemning racism in the United States once again.
Some of the artists who have spoken out about this issue include singer-songwriter and producer, Pharrell Williams, who preached “we must protect our Asian brothers and sisters”; pop artist Justin Timberlake; and singer Rihanna, who tweeted, “AAPI hate has been rampantly perpetuated & it’s disgusting! I’m heartbroken for the Asian community & my heart is with the loved ones of those we lost. The hate must stop."
Former member of 2NE1 CL tweeted out a link to a the GoFundMe page of the non-profit organization Stop Asian Hate, whose goal is to combat racism and xenophobic attacks against Asian Americans and the Pacific Islander community. Due to the harmful rhetoric surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, Asians have been the targets of a growing number of hateful acts. In the past year, there have been approximately 3,800 incidents reported regarding attacks against Asian Americans.
Many other artists have taken to Instagram to spread resources and information regarding the attacks. Ariana Grande posted infographics on her story stating “The Media Needs to be Held Accountable, Call These ‘Incidents’ What They Are: Hate Crimes Against Asian Americans.” She also shared Action items, encouraging people to rally and educate themselves, as well as mental health resources for her AAPI followers.
EAR stands in solidarity with the AAPI community and encourages people to educate themselves on the history of racism against Asian Americans in order to take steps towards change.
Please view the following list of resources to see how you can support the Asian American and Pacific Islander community during this time:
A Different Asian American Timeline: https://aatimeline.com
Bystander Intervention Training for Xenophobic Harassment: https://www.ihollaback.org/bystanderintervention/
68 Ways to Donate to support AAPI: https://nymag.com/strategist/article/where-to-donate-to-help-asian-communities-2021.html
Stop Asian Hate: https://stopaapihate.org/
Asian Pacific Fund: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/apfund/mobile
Asian Americans Advancing Justice: https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/
Stand Against Hatred: https://www.standagainsthatred.org/
