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I am Janet Liu and I am an Asian-American.  I moved to America with my family from Taiwan when I was still a child.  I am 1.5 generation.  My parents are 1st generation.  My daughter, who was born here, is 2nd generation.  I am bi-cultural and operate comfortably in both cultures.  My Chinese friends say I'm pretty Americanized.  My American friends are those who accept other cultures.

How do I feel about the massacre of Asian-Americans in Atlanta?  I've been reflecting.  I don't feel that fearful about it.  Maybe it's because this latest comes after a year of violence on Asian-Americans since the beginning of COVID; & inflamed by a president who scorned Asian-Americans.  Maybe it's because this time the public outrage against the violence is so great and many public officials and social organizations have condemned the hate crimes.  This time there is validation that Asian-American lives do matter and such crimes are wrong.  This time I don't feel so isolated in my fear & my helplessness.  This time I feel the support so that I don't have to suffer alone.

What can you do?  Reach out to your Asian-American family & friends.  Assure them that Asian-American lives matter, that violence against Asian-Americans is wrong, that you recognize their fear for safety.  To be allies of Asian-Americans, educate yourselves on our history.  PBS is showing their 2020 documentary "Asian Americans" online (for free thru May) (https://www.pbs.org/show/asian-americans/).  This is an outstanding show of 5 segments (each 1 hour long) on the struggles and resilience of this group.  Helen Zia's book Asian American Dreams is also excellent (https://www.annieblooms.com/book/9780374527365). 

Whether or not you have viewed the documentary or read Zia's book, please join me for a River West Village Zoom discussion for us to share our perspectives on Asian-Americans and their history on April 22 from 12:30 to 2:30pm.

Please contact Janet Liu via email to obtain the Zoom link for the discussion: [email protected]