Mom,
Dad,
Uncle, Auntie,
Grandfather, Grandmother:
We need to talk.
You may not have grown up around people who are Black, but I have
Black people are a fundamental part of my life:
They’re my friends,
my roommates,
my classmates and teammates,
my family
Today, I’m scared for them
This year, the American police have already killed more than 500 people
Of those, 25% have been black, even though they only make up 13% of the population
Earlier this week in Louisiana two police officers killed a man named Alton Sterling
while he sold CDs on the street
The very next day in Minnesota, a police officer shot and killed
a Black man named Philando Castile
in his car during a traffic stop
while his girlfriend and her four year-old daughter looked on
Overwhelmingly, the police do not face any consequences for ending these lives
This is a terrifying reality that some of my closest friends live with every day
Even as we hear about the dangers that Black Americans face
our instinct is to sometimes point at all the ways that we’re different from them
To shield ourselves from their reality, rather than empathizing
When a policeman shoots a Black person you might think it’s the victim’s fault
because you see so many images of them in the media as thugs and criminals
After all, you might say,
we managed to come to America and build good lives
for ourselves despite discrimination,
so why can’t they?
I want to share with you how I see things
It’s true that we face discrimination for being Asian in this country.
Sometimes people are rude to us about our accents,
or withhold promotions because they don’t think of us as leadership material
Some of us are told we’re terrorists
But for the most part, people don’t think “dangerous criminal”
when we are walking down the street
The police do not gun down our children and parents for simply existing
This is not the case for our Black friends
Many Black people were brought to America as slaves against their will
For centuries their communities, families, and bodies were ripped apart for profit
Even after slavery, they had to build back their lives by themselves
with no institutional support –
not allowed to vote or own homes,
and constantly under the threat of violence that continues to this day
In fighting for their own rights, Black activists have led the movement
for opportunities not just for themselves, but for us as well
Black people have been beaten, jailed, even killed
fighting for many of the rights that Asian Americans enjoy today
We owe them so much in return
We are all fighting against the same unfair system
that prefers we compete against each other
When someone is walking home and gets shot by a sworn protector of the peace
–even if that person’s last name is Liang–
that is an assault on all of us,
and on all of our hopes for equality and fairness under the law
For all these reasons I support the Black Lives Matter movement
Part of that support means speaking up when I see people
in my own community –or even my own family–
say or do things that diminish the humanity
of Black Americans in this country
I’m telling you this out of love, because I don’t want this issue to divide us
I’m asking you to try and empathize with the anger and grief of the fathers,
mothers, and children who have lost their loved ones to police violence
To empathize with my anger and grief
To support me if I choose to be vocal and to protest
To share this letter with your friends and to encourage them to be empathetic, too
As your child, I am proud and eternally grateful
that you took the long, hard journey to this country,
that you've lived decades in a place that hasn’t always been kind to you
You’ve never wished your struggles upon me
Instead, you’ve suffered through a prejudiced America,
to bring me closer to the American Dream
But I hope you can consider this:
The American Dream cannot exist only for your children
We’re all in this together and we cannot be safe
until all of our friends, loved ones, and neighbors are safe
The American Dream that we seek
is a place where all Americans can live without fear of police violence
This is the future that I want – and one that I hope you want, too
With love and hope,
Your chidren