By Lillian Bit, AsAmNews Staff Writer
Rapper and activist China Mac has put out his first single and music video, They Can”t Burn Us All. The first song by him specifically targets anti-Asian racism.
The name They Can’t Burn Us All is also on the album cover and aptly named after the protest movement China Mac and William Lex Ham organized in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.
The protest originated in July when China Mac became outraged after hearing about the attack on an 89 year old Chinese Grandma by two now arrested male teens accused of slapping her and set her shirt on fire. When grandma went to the police station she was told to go home and call 911.
After the first march in Brooklyn, the protest movement gained momentum with another protest rally in Manhattan in August. China Mac and Wil Ham also took the protest into Los Angeles and San Francisco in September. Thousands of protesters marched shouting “They Can’t Burn Us All.”
AsAmNews covered two protests in NYC and one of the questions we asked at the first protest of China Mac was “Will you use your music to further your cause?” He paused thoughtfully and said “I’m not political. I’m not an activist.” Pressed further about the use of his music he said, “I have to finish this protest rally first and maybe the music will come after.”
On Instagram yesterday after the release of this first song China Mac urged all his hundreds of thousands of fans to stream this music video and song. “This song is so important and I wrote it from my heart” and I wrote it for the people.”
The words from China Macs’ song begins with the question :
“America, America, why your hatred runs deep in America” ? He questions why Asians across the United States are experiencing more than 2800 incidents of racial slurs, harassment and violence. Many people and news organizations have pointed to Trump as the cause for inciting racist rhetoric with his constant reference to Corona Virus as the Kung Flu and Chinese Virus.
China Mac plans to do a Youth Rally and concert on Nov 7 in San Francisco.
(Editor Note: An earlier version of the article incorrectly listed the date of the upcoming rally in San Francisco. It is November 7)
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