Photo by Esther Yang
Sandra Oh surprised a crowd in Pittsburgh when she showed up at a Stop Asian Hate rally there, one of many held across the country from coast to coast Saturday
The Golden Globe and Screen Actors Award-winner is in town to film a series for Netflix, according to The Hill.
“I know many in our community are very scared and I understand that,” said Oh.
“One way to get through our fear is to reach out to our community. I challenge everyone here. If you see something, will you help me?”
“Yeah,” responded the enthusiastic and cheering crowd.
Other rallies and vigils Saturday were held in Spokane, WA; Portland, OR; Fresno, CA; Alhambra, CA; Amherst, NY; and Atlanta, GA. These were just some of the many held nationwide.
“We are here just to show our unity and to tell the world that we are part of America, we are not a target to be discriminated against,” said Liying Zheng, vice president of the Vancouver Chinese Association in Washington State, across the river from Portland. About 200 people showed up at the Portland rally, according to Oregon Live.
“To not speak Vietnamese in public, to tell my grandma not to go anywhere alone, to keep the pepper spray that my dad gave me in handy,” said one 16-year-old speaker at a similar rally in Fresno, KMPH reported. “To be hyper fixated on the fact that even with my mask on, I still look Asian. I’ve been conditioned to be afraid.”
Further south in California, hundreds attended a candlelight vigil in Alhambra, a suburb of Los Angeles with a large Asian American population.
“I’m heartbroken to see elderly people not only attacked in my community but attacks in Hispanic vendors as well,” said attendee Norma Federico Saturday. ” This needs to stop.”
About 100 people showed up at a vigil in Buffalo in upstate New York state.
“I feel very powerful. I think our voice can be heard very well. We don’t want people to think we’re victims,” said Jun Wang Tiedemann to WIVB.
In Atlanta, GA, demonstrators called for peace and understanding, reported 11 Alive.
“All we need is the peace for our environment and for us to prosper and seek our dreams in this country,” said Charlies Li.
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