Dublin Rally Draws Hundreds Decrying AAPI Hate

A submission from Dublin resident Sylvia Tian:

DUBLIN, CA — Demonstrators held rallies in Northern California and nationwide recently to condemn the recent spike in hate crimes against people of Asian descent in the U.S. People from San Francisco, Sacramento and Bakersfield gathered in Dublin to stand united with Asians and urge for the prosecution of people who commit crimes against them.

Hundreds of people came to Emerald Glen Park to ask for two “R”s — recognition and respect, for all Asians.

Organizer Xia Tian of the Tri-Valley Asian Association said Asians deserve recognition and respect for their contributions to America, including their work some 160 years ago on the transcontinental railroad in California.

This rally to stop Asian hate and support the Asian community was led by quite a few groups of grassroot organizations including the American Entrepreneur Association, Sino-American Sister City Association, Above and Beyond Education and Tri-Valley Asian Association.

People young and old carried signs with such phrases as: “Your Voices Matter, Your Dreams Matter, Your Lives Matter”; “Stop Racism”; “Stop Asian Hate”; “End the Violence Against Asians”; “Asian Kids Fight Back” and “Racism is a Virus.”

Alameda County Supervisor David Haubert, of Dublin, said that there is no place for hate crimes in Dublin and Alameda County. He urged victims to report crimes to the police and warned that those who commit crimes against Asian Americans will be prosecuted.

One youth leader, Elizabeth Tan said, “I have experienced discrimination in many forms. In school, my Asian peers and I have been called “Ling Ling,” asked if we eat dogs and if we can see out of our small eyes."

Youth leader Jeff Yang strongly condemned the discrimination towards Asians. He pointed out that however, the disrespect towards Asians in our society stems much deeper than name-calling and mocking. Throughout American history, Asians have faced discrimination, hate, and a lack of equal rights, whether it was through the Chinese Exclusion Act or Japanese internment campsduring World War II.

Tan and many youth like her believe, “I may be young and I may be female. But I have a conscience, and a voice. My generation will become the future, and we must be the master of our own fate. Yes, they called me an ABC - American Born Chinese but today, no matter our ethnicity, we stand here as ABAs - American Born Americans! This is our home, this is our country and we must bring attention to the hate directed at Asian Americans. Stop Asian Hate!”

More and more Asian youth showed up in these rallies since the spike in anti-Asian sentiments.

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