annotated by Taia Cheng
Taking Action to Be an Ally AND to Stand in Solidarity
What is Solidarity? by Ada Tseng | Asst. Editor | Utility Journalism Team | Los Angeles Times
Allyship is important; however, “it’s often performative”, easy, and comfortable. Real change requires discomfort and confronting the root cause of an issue (in this context, that is the root cause of racism and discrimination that leads to stereotyping, microaggressions, bullying, and violent hate crimes: implicit bias drilled into us by current societal standards). Ada Tseng defines allyship, then defines solidarity: which is about “taking big social risks”. Solidarity is more difficult and uncomfortable. Solidarity requires conscious, quiet, and subtle everyday changing of a system wired against the Black Community and BIPOC communities at large.
High-quality professional journalists at the LA Times, NY Times, etc. should be compensated for their hard work; however, if any of these articles are inaccessible to you, please email taiacheng@college.harvard.edu for access. That being said, if it’s within your budget, please subscribe to a high-quality journalism outlet.
20+ Allyship Actions for Asians to Show Up for the Black Community Right Now by Michelle MiJung Kim | UC Berkeley, Haas School of Business
A VERY ACTIONABLE list that can also be read in Korean, Chinese, Tamil, Malayalam, and Japanese on how to take anti-racist actions.
How to Be a Better Ally to Your Black Colleagues by Stephanie Creary | Asst. Professor | Wharton
Stephanie Creary explains her LEAP framework “which is designed to help people from different backgrounds build stronger relationships in the workplace”. Consider her framework so that you can become a better ally to your Black Colleagues (and colleagues of the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities):
L: Listen and learn from your Black colleague’s experiences
E: Engage with Black colleges in racially diverse and more casual settings
A: Ask Black employees about their work and their goals
P: Provide your Black colleges with opportunities, suggestions, encouragement, and general support
Anti-Racism Resources for the AAPI Community by the Asian American Studies Program | Cornell
Cornell University has provided an extensive, actionable resource list specifically for the AAPI community to rewire an anti-racist mindset. This includes various articles on the history of solidarity, how-to guides on combating bias and anti-black racism, as well as important foundations to which one can donate funds. This resource also includes information on the effort to stop AAPI hate.
How To Be An Ally for Black Lives by Hanna Al-Malssi | Political Science & History | UCLA
Another great article with a self-explanatory title.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
The Meaning of The King Holiday by Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King, a powerful author, political activist, civil rights leader, and wife of Martin Luther King Jr. writes about the meaning of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. She writes that “It is a day of interracial and intercultural cooperation and sharing. No other day of the year brings so many peoples from different cultural backgrounds together in such a vibrant spirit of brother and sisterhood. Whether you are AfricanAmerican, Hispanic or Native American, whether you are Caucasian or AsianAmerican, you are part of the great dream Martin Luther King, Jr. had for America. This is not a black holiday; it is a peoples’ holiday. And it is the young people of all races and religions who hold the keys to the fulfillment of his dream.”
Powerful Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes That Still Speak to the Current State of the World
A summary of great quotes.
The biography on the phenomenal Thich Nhat Hanh, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize as “an Apostle of peace and nonviolence”.
“Welcome to the official website of FAR EAST DEEP SOUTH, the award-winning documentary feature film that follows the Chiu family on a surprising journey through Mississippi in search of their lost family history. Along the way, they meet a diverse group of local residents and historians, who shed light on the racially complex history of the early Chinese in the segregated South. Their emotional journey also leads them to discover how exclusionary immigration laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 impacted their family and they learn how deep their roots run in America.”
A History of Solidarity Between the AAPI and African American Communities
The History Of Solidarity Between Asian And Black Americans is an NPR interview between award-winning journalist, Ailsa Chang (Stanford, BA & JD; University of Oxford, LLM; Columbia University, MA) and Kim Tran (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Consultant; UC Berkeley, Ph.D., Ethnic Studies) to highlight the history and importance of modern-day solidarity between Asian Americans and Black Americans.
The Asian American Response to Black Lives Matter Is Part of a Long, Complicated History is a Time magazine article by Cady Lang (Ithaca College, Journalism, Art History) shedding light on the nuances of the relationship between the Asian American and Black American community.
Black-Asian solidarity has a long and storied history in America is a CNN editorial piece by Van Jones (University of Tennessee Martin, Communication, Political Science; Yale, JD) lays out significant historical moments of Black-Asian solidarity in clear bullet points.
‘Join, support and donate’: Coalition of minority Americans come together to dismantle hate
Asian Americans for Black Lives is an NBC news piece by Char Adams (Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Journalism; CUNY, MA) highlighting the uptick in AAPI hate crimes and AAPI involvement in the Black Lives Matter movement.
Solidarity Matters: Black History Month Through An Asian American Lens by Asian American Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy highlights the dangers of the Model Minority myth in dividing BIPOC communities.
What does Asian and Black racial solidarity look like? is an LA Times article by Ada Tseng (Assistant Director on the Utility Journalism Team) and Jessica Q. Chen (UC Irvine, Biology; Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern, MA) reopens the conversation concerning Asian and Black solidarity a year after the George Floyd protests and Black Lives Matter movement. This article highlights the conversation on moving beyond allyship toward solidarity. A follow-up article to read after reading this one is A discussion of Asian and Black solidarity: ‘Wherever there’s a fight, that’s where I want to be’.
The Secret History of South Asian & African American Solidarity is an NBC news article by Anirvan Chatterjee (UC Berkeley, Interdisciplinary Studies; MA) that highlights the secret history of shared solidarity between South Asians and African Americans. This article highlights fascinating facts and the work of Anirvan Chatterjee who “hopes to inspire more Asian-American activists, ‘From freedom fighters to feminists, labor to LGBTQ, for over a century, organizing has been central to our community’s tradition in the United States.’”
February Resource Roundup: 5 Moments of Black & Asian Solidarity is a Mochi Magazine piece by Giannina Ong (Santa Clara University, English, Classics, Women’s and Gender Studies; University of Toronto, MA) that clearly highlights five moments of Black & Asian solidarity. Her article also links to fascinating resources regarding Grace Lee Boggs and the Black Power Movement, the friendship between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Thich Nhat Hanh, Malcolm X and Yuri Kochiyama, and more.
Taia Cheng is a Classics and Comparative Literature concentrator at Harvard University with a deep appreciation for her California Asian American roots. When she is not reading, she is playing basketball, baking, or spending time with her amazing friends and family. She strongly believes that high-quality professional journalists at the LA Times, New York Times, etc. should be compensated for their hard work; however, if one of the above articles is inaccessible to you, please email taiacheng@college.harvard.edu for access. That being said, if it’s within your budget, she highly recommends that you subscribe to a high-quality journalism outlet.