Opinion

GUEST ROOM | Model Minority No More

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An Asian-interest fraternity at New York University was suspended indefinitely after screenshots of a racist exchange by its brothers went viral, sparking outrage and calls for solidarity among Asian Americans. “… We grinded significantly harder while black peoples were lazy,” read a message. “They’ve stepped on us due to jealous [sic] because of a ‘model minority’ label white people slapped on to us,” read another. The sentiments shared shed light on an uncomfortable truth: Asian complicity in anti-black racism.

asians for black lives

GUEST ROOM | Understanding the BLM Movement from a Non-Black Perspective

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I am not black. So the question I asked myself, over and over again, as I watched protest after protest unfold around the country was this: How can I make sure that when I join in protest, hold up a sign or post a hashtag on my Instagram, I am not merely saying the words “Black Lives Matter,” but representing them? How can I make sure I am doing this for the right reasons? How can I possibly understand the racial discrimination faced by Black Americans? During my time at Cornell, especially competing for the Cornell Speech Team, I learned a valuable lesson: The best way to understand, the best way to relate to a story that is not yours, is simply to find within your own experiences the same emotions, the same reactions that you are seeing in the ones you want to relate to.