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“As a kid I was never into school, just never interested me, my grades were always borderline and I always knew my success would be something outside of the classroom. Now growing up in a chinese family this was bad because you were always expected to get 100s on every test and to be at the top of the class, this was never the case with me, I knew I needed to find something that would interest me. When I discovered powerlifting I instantly fell in love with the sport, first because I was naturally good at it and progressed very quickly and because I loved being strong, the stereotype I always heard was that Asians are weak, fun fact Team China is on top of the world in Olympic weightlifting. I always trained hard to prove that stereotype was bullsh*t, I signed up for my first meet towards the end of 2018 and I’ll always remember the shock and awe of the people’s faces in the crowd watching me lift, they just didn’t expect that much from me. I ended up taking 1st in my class that day and best lifter. I train in powerlifting to strengthen my body, my mind and to inspire others to start lifting, also to prove to my traditional family that success isn’t always in the form of A pluses on a report card. I will become an elite powerlifter and break a world record one day. I want to be an inspiration to the asian lifters in the powerlifting community.” -Allen Lau #teamlaustrength #asiansspeakup #embraceourrace

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“My whole life, I’ve always wanted to feel a sense of belonging. Raised in a heavily caucasian town, I always saw myself as "too asian" – that my cultural identity hindered my ability to fit in. So, I changed myself through the years. I grew up sporting PacSun and Converse, however the white kids dressed. I grew up playing lacrosse and watching football, hoping that I'd eventually be seen as more than "just Asian". I changed my name, from Hongxiang to Robert, so I didn't get awkward laughter when a substitute teacher had trouble articulating it. I started buying school lunch, believing that the others would think my mom's food smelled weird. I spoke to my family in only English, turning my back on my own language. And it filled me with shame. Because somewhere down the line, the fabric that made up who I was ripped, my character smothered, my identity cast away. I would stare at the mirror and not recognize who stared back. I longed to fill the gap in my soul, taking for granted what made me who I was before. I've started to develop a new mindset – rather than seeking acceptance others, I needed to accept own identity, and embrace the differences that make me who I am. And, sure – maybe I'll never fit in. But I've learned that in this day and age, the most important thing is being content with being Asian.” -Robert Sheng #asiansstandup #embraceourrace

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“Ten years ago, I never could have imagined myself playing tennis. Being raised in a Chinese household, I was taught how to read and do math at four years old. I was pushed into doing reading exercises and Math Olympiad problems all throughout my early elementary school years, and I always seemed to be doing something school-related. I played tennis for the first time when I was eight years old at a local park. I was riding my bike around a tennis court, and there was a woman coaching a boy around my age on the next court. That boy happened to live in the city and had very few opportunities to ride his bike in the area he lived in. He asked if he could ride my bike while I took his spot on the tennis court. Thankfully, I accepted his offer and that was the start of my tennis journey. I wouldn’t be as successful of a tennis player today if I wasn’t Asian. The common stereotype about Asian people is that they aren’t good at sports. I’ve taken it upon myself to change that stereotype to show that being Asian isn’t just defined by a misconception. We’re not one-dimensional. Being Asian is one of my motivations to continue playing the sport I love.” -Brian Gao #asiansspeakup #embraceourrace

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“Being Asian has had its ups and downs. When I was younger, the only thing I could really say I was proud of was how “Asian” I was. I made sure the word was out there so that people knew I was Asian. My instagram used to be @asiandude2002, my username in all my games would be @asianboi, and my snapchat to this day is still @asiantennis. I would even purposely talk in thai to my parents in front of everyone just to flex my ability to speak an Asian language. But, as time progressed and people grew older, the world seemed to be a little angrier with me. My memory isn’t too great, but some of the events that have occured in my life are engraved into my brain. There were moments where I would notice my family, my friends, and myself getting into incidents that should not have been racially based. Whether it was getting cut in line or being physically assaulted, all of these moments happened because we were Asian. I could go onto a tangent about all the times I’ve been attacked verbally and physically but the most important thing is how it shaped my present self. All this anger in the world didn’t lead to my outrage but rather my revelation. The amount of pain and suffering that exists motivated me to live my life positively instead of stooping down to the level of these pessimistic people. It has driven me not only to show my love for others but love myself as not only a thai-american but an Asian.” -Arin Siriamonthep #asiansspeakup #embraceourrace

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Hi! We are two high school students looking to facilitate conversation between Asians and their communities in an attempt to increase awareness about racism to create unity. We hope to develop a platform where Asians across the globe can come together with support and inspiration to help others. The amount of hate crimes against Asians during the COVID-19 outbreak has increased dramatically. We see disgusting acts of racism all over the world through the news, social media, and even our own eyes. Too often the victims of these attacks aren’t able to defend and speak up for themselves. But this outbreak isn’t the only example of racism against Asians. It exists in our everyday lives – other people’s misconceptions about our culture is one of the reasons why our society has become increasingly polarized in recent years. We, as a community, cannot stand for this any longer. Embrace your heritage by sending us your story on how being Asian has molded you into the person you are today, despite the hardships that being Asian carries. It’s time to speak up. Some ways that you can help us: • Follow us and spread the word about our platform! • Everyone has a story (Direct message us yours and with your consent, we will post it with a picture that you think represents yourself well or a selfie) • Post with and share our hashtags #asiansspeakup #embraceourrace -Arin Siriamonthep (@siriamonthep) and Brian Gao (@briangao59)

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“Being Asian-American is something I've always been insecure about ever since I've been able to comprehend anything. You're constantly being reminded that you're "too Asian" to fit in with the other kids simply because of your slanted eyes, food, language, or clothing. I've had experiences where people would automatically assume I'm a smart submissive kid just because of the harmful stereotypes put onto Asians. I've had teachers who've moved me around in seating charts to sit me with the "troublemaking kids" to practically babysit them and help them do their school work without asking me first. These instances happen all over social media as well. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of accounts of Asian women dressing and acting like children because they feel like they need to fit into the standards men have put on us. Asian women are told that they're supposed to be submissive and anime-like. However, being Asian-American also comes with having to be too "white-washed". I used to be able to speak and sing in Vietnamese fluently, but now I can only understand Vietnamese. I can't respond back to my relatives even if I understand what they're saying, so everyone had to get used to my responses in English. It's difficult to fit in anywhere when you're constantly being told that you belong somewhere else. As I grew up I was lucky enough to meet people that I trust, who would allow me to embrace my ethnicity while also being able to have my own personality. I hope that fellow Asian-Americans are able to take time to do the same, and allow themselves to not be pushed into stereotypes the world tells them to be.” Hey! We made stickers and 100% of proceeds will go towards the AAPI community in all different sorts of ways. We will have new designs for stickers as well as a different charities to support each month so go check out our page in the link in bio! #stickers #donate #aapi #asiansspeakup Misrepresentation: The Racist Box That Hollywood Puts Us Into “For a while I never understood what it meant to be Asian-American. It was hard to distinguish “how chinese” I was just because I failed to speak or understand the language. In efforts to become more fluent in my culture, I have attempted to restore what tradition I might’ve lost because of the circumstances that I live in. It was blinding and lonely to not feel connected with a community that I related too. I never was able to put myself in the categories that exist in my cultural range. This is an anonymous quote that we received. Submit your story or quote to be shared! (Submission form is available on our website through the link in bio) @siriamonthep was recently featured in a Buzzfeed article for our organization! Go check it out and give some love to the journalist who wrote it, giving us the chance to be featured in the first place @tamsuriyamit! Hey! Brian and I were featured in a podcast on @thrivespice available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music and all major podcast platforms. Go check out the link in our bio or theirs now! Give them a follow on their Instagram as well as their Facebook❤️ Affirmative Action & Asian Americans These past two weeks, two of our members @jamie.chann_ and @briangao59 spoke for a crowd surrounding the Asian hate at hand. Listen in to hear our thoughts at these rally’s.
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