LIHU‘E — The YWCA of Kaua‘i, Meyers & Meyers LLC, a law firm in Lihu‘e, and other community groups and businesses are joining forces this Saturday, April 3 for a “Stop Asian Hate” peaceful demonstration from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Historic County Building.
The demonstration is one of many that being held across the country condemning hate crimes against Asian Americans. The number of demonstrations has increased since the March fatal shooting of eight people at a Georgia massage parlor — six of whom were women of Asian descent. A white man and a white woman also lost their lives that day, and a man of Hispanic descent survived life-threatening wounds.
According to police documents and as reported in the Associated Press, gunman Robert Long told investigators he had a sex addiction and targeted businesses that he saw as symbols of temptation. But, some people believe the victims were targeted because of their race and point out what they say is rising anti-Asian hate across America.
“The YWCA unequivocally denounces the anti-Asian violence and rhetoric that’s been increasing across the country,” YWCA’s Executive Director Renae Hamilton-Cambeilh said. “We are excited to partner with businesses, community groups, and individuals in showing our full support for the Asian/Pacific Islander community and demonstrating that racial bias and hate has no place in our community. There are so many people helping us spread the word.”
The Kaua‘i mayor, an Asian American himself, echoes Hamilton-Cambeilh’s thoughts on racism.
“Discrimination and racism is wrong, period,” Mayor Derek Kawakami said. “Every person at some point in their life has faced discrimination or has been judged unfairly, and at the root of it all – it just hurts. This recent uptick in violence against Asians, and people of color, and other minorities, is something that we as a community have to solve together.”
YWCA USA’s Interim CEO Elisha Rhodes said the Georgia spa shooting is a strong motivator for the organization’s participation in the event.
“While a few details regarding the motive behind the shootings have been released, these murders cannot be separated from the rise in harassment and violence against Asian and Asian American people since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, nor can they be separated from the misogyny that underlies violence against women,” YWCA USA’s Interim CEO Elisha Rhodes said.
The Tsunami Taiko drum group from Kaua‘i will be performing and there will be live muralists performing as well at the rally. YWCA asks everyone that shows up on Saturday, to wear masks and to always practice social distance around others. YWCA will provide some signs, but attendees should bring their own.
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Stephanie Shinno, education, business, and community reporter, can be reached at 245-0424 or sshinno@thegardenisland.com.
If you’re Caucasian, and have ever worked in the county, state or basically any trade in hawaii. You would have experienced nepotism, discrimination, and blatant hate speech. If you are of any darker complexion in hawaii you are the privileged one. This clearly just adds to division. It’s “stop hate” not prejudiced by words or races.
While I agree that black people have more oppurunities and are more accepted here, I have never been discriminated or insulted for being white.
Just to put the nepotism, discrimination and hate speech you claim to experience versus our “dark skin privilege” into perspective;
Anti-Asian racism in the U.S.:
1790 — Naturalization Act: The act barred naturalization of any non-white person.
1854 — People vs. Hall: California’s Supreme Court ruled an Asian person couldn’t testify in court against a white person, setting the stage for anti-Asian violence to go unpunished.
1871 — Chinese massacre in Los Angeles: Following the shooting of a white man killed in crossfire of rival Chinese gangs, hundreds of white and Hispanic people attacked L.A.’s Chinese community on Oct. 24, 1871. Nearly 20 Chinese people were lynched or shot dead.
1875 — Page Act: Designed to prohibit women who had “lewd and immoral purposes” from entering the U.S., the Page Act was enforced mostly against Chinese women, the majority of whom were attempting to join Chinese men working in the country.
1882 — Chinese Exclusion Act: The law banned immigration of Chinese laborers. It wasn’t repealed until 1943.
1885 — Rock Springs massacre: White miners in Wyoming Territory attacked Chinese miners, killing 28 and wounding several others.
1922-1923 — Supreme Court on citizenship: In separate cases in 1922 and 1923, the Supreme Court ruled that a Japanese-born man and an Indian-born man were not white and ineligible for naturalization.
1924 — Johnson Reed Act: The law effectively blocked immigration from Asia and drastically cut the number of immigrants allowed to enter the U.S.
Japanese-Americans Interned at Santa Anita (Photo by Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)
Japanese Americans at an internment camp in Santa Anita, California. 1942-1945 — Japanese internment: During World War II, the U.S. forced over 100,000 people of Japanese descent — the majority of whom were U.S. citizens — into internment camps.
Late 1970s-early 1980s — KKK attacks: The Ku Klux Klan, claiming the Vietnamese fishermen were stealing American jobs, patrolled the waters off the coast of Texas and attacked the fishermen’s boats.
1982 — Murder of Vincent Chin: Two white men in Michigan beat Vincent Chin, a Chinese American man, to death, blaming him for the success of the Japanese auto industry. They served no jail time.
Supporters gather during a candlelight vigil in Union Square for victims of the Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting on August 8, 2012 in New York City.
Sikh men and their supporters hold a candlelight vigil in New York for victims of the Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting in 2012.
2012 — Sikh Temple shooting: A white supremacist fatally shot six people at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin on Aug. 5, 2012, a. A seventh victim died of his injuries last year. The attack came amid a surge of post-9/11 violence against Muslims or anyone perceived to be Muslim, including many South Asians.
2020 — Anti-Asian hate crimes surge: Last year saw a surge in anti-Asian hate crimes that many attributed to anti-Asian rhetoric during the coronavirus pandemic.
2021 — Georgia shootings: Asian Americans expressed alarm following the March 16 shootings at three spas near Atlanta, Georgia. Eight people were killed, including six Asian women.
Now do the unbiased side to prove the same narrative. The vast majority of anti Asian sentiment across the US have been black on Asian crimes assaults. But mainstream media is happy to ignore that. You do realize Asians are some of the most racist of all. For instance have you asked a Japanese National how they view Koreans, Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian. Historically they have been some of the most brutal dynasty’s. Present day “re-education camps” in China. But that’s their culture right? You can go forth and cherry pick anything t prove your point. But to be Of Asian descent in hawaii present day is the most privileged you’ll get. Fact
Funny how Asian people get more support than African people.
Hundreds of Africans are killed and then criticized when they protest.
A few dozen Asians are killed and everyone is up in arms.
Talk about privileged classes!
I like how haoles try to manipulate the narrative by blaming the victims and distorting the truth.
I guess you were sleeping thru the Black Lives Matter protests, demonstrations and riots. You better get ‘woke’ haole
Awesome idea..Will be there. Should have picked a better venue, like in front of the police station or the Chiefs house.
I wonder if Raybuck will attend this rally? Let us remind everyone that he did attend the BLM rally. If he doesn’t attend wouldn’t it show that he really has something against Asians?
85% of violence against Asians is perpetrated by African Americans. Why does no one talk about that?
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/nevius/article/Dirty-secret-of-black-on-Asian-violence-is-out-3265760.php
interesting, that is a dirty little secret that NO ONE is talking about, including Asians, thanks for posting