“Dear Mom, Dad, Uncle, Auntie …” begins the video created by Letters for Black Lives. The video is to assist you in explaining to the older members of your families why they should support Black Americans in the wake of the killing of George Floyd.
The majority of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are first generation immigrants who come from countries that are largely homogeneous.
Too often, they don’t how to navigate through the diversity of peoples who live in the United States. It is more difficult for the parents to get used to work with people of different faiths and races.
It is usually a different story for their children who attend schools who quickly adapt to the richness of American culture. It is up to younger generations to explain to their parents why AAPI should support the Black community’s quest for equal justice and rights.
Letters for Black Lives began as a group of Asian Americans and Canadians writing an intergenerational letter to voice our concerns and support for the Black community.
“We have since grown to include other immigrant groups and communities of color. Our goal is to listen, support, and amplify the message of Black Lives Matter within our communities,” says the Letters website.
Letters for Black Lives (lettersforblacklives.com) started as a crowdsourced letter for Asian American children who wanted a framework for discussing issues of anti-Blackness and police violence with their immigrant parents. It’s quickly grown into a vibrant community with more than 200 contributors, 30 translations, and many more voices being shared through words, sound, and video.
This particular video was created in 2016. An updated version is in the works.
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