A storefront in the Bay Area proudly displays messages of solidarity in support for members of the AAPI community. Phrases such as “respect our elders”, “no room for hate” and “protect Asian lives” can be seen on the storefront’s windows.
Stashed, a clothing store based in San Francisco, partnered with 14 Asian American designers to create a #StopAsianHate collection. The collection includes shirts that say, “Asians against racism”, “Hate is a virus, love is the cure” and “love our people like you love our food”.
Justin Joo, Creative Lead for the “Unite the Bay” project, helped bring the designers together. “As far as I know the Bay is like one of the epicenters where all this hate is happening against the Asian community,” said Joo.
There have been over 6,600 reported hate incidents against Asian Americans as of March 19 2020 to March 31st of this year. 2410 cases occurred in the first three months of 2021 alone.
Actor Taylor Takahashi, known for his role in the movie “Boogie”, is one of the featured designers. “I chose not your model minority which has been my experience growing up in the Bay Area playing basketball,” Takahashi told KTVU Fox 2 News.
The back of Takahashi’s shirt reads, “not your model minority” and the front reads, “global friendships”. An image of the bay bridge and basketball hoop can also be seen featured on the front of Takahashi’s shirt.
100% of proceeds will go to organizations such as the AAPI Community Fund, Vietnamese American Community Center of the East Bay and to Bay Area victims of hate. If you are interested in a window cling stickers or shirts, you can contact stashed in San Francisco at (415) 854-5940 or visit the Stashed website.
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