By Louis Chan, AsAmNews National Correspondent
When a bigoted viewer told KSDK reporter/anchor Michelle Li she was “very Asian” and offensive when she shared a Korean New Year’s tradition on TV, Li didn’t just take it.
The journalist from St. Louis turned the remark into a positive.
The hashtag #veryAsian took off, with scores of people sharing how they too were very Asian.
Li and Gia Vang, a news anchor from KARE in Minneapolis, have since begun selling Very Asian t-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats with profits going to the Asian American Journalists Association.
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They intended the pop-up sale to last two weeks, but with merchandise quickly selling, they have cut their market in half. The two announced Friday the fundraiser will now end at noon Central time on Tuesday, January 11.
Sizes range from small to 2xL with kid sizes available as well. Prices range from $25 to $50 plus shipping charges.
“We’re proud of Michelle Li and Gia Vang for bringing awareness to this incredibly common racist experience that AAPI journalists face on the job. Bringing your full self in the workplace should never lead to blatant racism. We join fellow AAPI journos in claiming #VeryAsian for ourselves,” wrote AAJA President Michelle Ye He Lee, a reporter at the Washington Post.
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