A 75-year-old Asian American woman, who managed to fight back against an attacker by smacking him with a board, plans to use most of the money donated to her for medical expenses to form a new charity.
The story of  Xiao Zhen Xie captivated the nation back in March. A Go Fund Me campaign for her raised more than $1 million.
CBS5’s Betty Yu reported on Facebook that she plans to keep $120,000 for personal expenses. The rest of the money will be used to launch a new charity, Asian Community Assistance Association. Her family will serve as the first set of directors.
The announced goal of ACAA will be to continue protecting the AAPI community, promoting safety, and preventing any further increase in Asian hate crimes.
Anyone who donated to the Go Fund Me campaign may ask the family for a refund until June 21 through Go Fund Me. Because ACAA is not yet a non-profit, contributions are not tax deductible.
Back in March, Xie spoke to CBS5 through an interpreter.
“She said we must not summit to racism and we must fight to the death if necessary. She also stated multiple times to donate all the funds generated in this GoFundMe back to the Asian American community to combat racism. She insists on making this decision saying this issue is bigger than her.
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Check out our new Instagram account. Go to our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Please consider interning, joining our staff, or submitting a story or making a contribution.
A true hero!!!