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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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Addressing the Asian American Experience Throughout American History - Rohan Gupta Check out our first Tiktok at asiansspeakup!! #asiansspeakup “I was born in Cebu City, Philippines, but my family and I moved to America when I was only four years old. I barely remember what growing up as a toddler in the Philippines was like, and to this day I feel out of touch with my roots. Because I’ve been in the American schooling system all my life, I definitely identify as an Asian American, although I’m technically not even a first generation Asian American. However, constantly going back and forth between my home and school, I started to notice that I was rather different from people at school. The town I lived in growing up was mostly white and although there was a decent Asian population, it was mostly East Asians or Asian American kids who were already heavily Americanized. I knew immediately that I stood out and for a time, I had trouble fitting in and because I stuck out like a sore thumb (only growing up with one other Filipino) I tried so hard to fit in. I asked my parents to stop giving me our cultural rice and meat dishes and switched it with lunchables, when I got to my preteens I got self conscious of my big curly hair and chemically straightened it to match the girls hairs around me, and I slowly lost my ability to speak my native language. I slowly realized as I got older, it was less about needing to fit in and more about embracing my differences and others differences as well and slowly, but surely I’m feeling more and more confident as a Filipino woman and am working to get more in touch with my family and my roots.” Hi everyone! My name is Nicole Massa, I’m from Queens, New York, & I’m a sophomore at Fordham University majoring in natural science on the pre-med track with a minor in marketing. “When I was younger, my parents raised me to cherish my Asian heritage. Every year, we celebrated Chinese New Year while I wore a traditional Chinese outfit at family gatherings and Chinese school celebrations. However, as I started getting older, I gradually started to lose my Chinese identity. I no longer attended Chinese school and now I can barely speak the language. Growing up in a predominantly white community, I became more aware that my Asian heritage was different from the culture of my white classmates. Instead of bringing my grandparents’ homemade dumplings to school like I did in the past, I started bringing ham sandwiches instead. I started assimilating to the white culture of my peers. I quit Chinese school at a young age and became more involved in various sports and activities that were considered more white. Growing up with all these influences around me, it made me feel ashamed being Asian. However, when I think back on my past, I wish I held on to my Asian heritage more. After losing the Chinese language, it’s now hard to communicate with my grandparents, who only speak the native language. I regret being so distant from my Asian culture. I now realize that there is so much to appreciate and cherish about my heritage that I didn’t realize as a young kid. I am grateful to have this sense of identity that makes me proud to be different from others. I am lucky to have been exposed to Chinese culture, but I just wish I held on to it more tightly. Nobody should have to feel ashamed of their culture, but instead, they should embrace it and love that side of them more.” -Sarah Wong Hi! My name is Rohan Gupta, and I’m a freshman at WashU studying Computer Science and Economics. I’m thrilled to be one of the social media managers for Asians Speak Up! Can’t wait to help this organization foster a safe space for Asian Americans to share their experiences of living in the United States. In doing so, we can inch closer to our goal of creating a society that is more embracing of people of diverse backgrounds and cultures. Feel free to reach out to me at @rohangoopta !! Look forward to being on this journey with you all! Hey y’all!! My name’s Ava Woo and I am one of the new social media managers!! I’m from Roslyn, New York but currently a freshman at University at Buffalo. Hello! My name is Bill Ni and I will be the technical director for Asians Speak Up. I’m from New York City and I’m currently a sophomore at RPI majoring in computer science. I’m not that good at marketing or public speaking, so I often try to help organizations that I support in my own way, doing what I do best! I was raised by Chinese immigrants and their culture still flows through me regularly. The recent spike of hate crimes is disheartening and I wanted to do my best to show that we can’t be defined by a virus, by our silence or by our appearance. You can reach me at @shutter.master hi everyone, my name is Jamie and and I am the new Public Relations advisor for Asian Speak Up! As Chinese American in a very diverse community, I have slowly realized what being Chinese means to me. Being the Public Relations director, I will connect with as many stories as possible, reaching out to a community that will acknowledge and share experiences regarding the issues the asian community face. Feel free to contact me, my instagram @jamie.chann_ :))
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