NYC Asian American activist mistook for Michelle Go at a vigil for Christina Yuna Lee by ABC News
By Carl Samson
February 15, 2022
An Asian American community activist in New York City is calling out ABC on Twitter after the network mistook her for the late Michelle Go on primetime TV.
Grace Lee spoke to ABC News correspondent Erielle Reshef on Monday morning at a vigil for Christina Yuna Lee, a woman stabbed to death in her Chinatown apartment the day before.
The incident is the latest in a string of attacks against Asian Americans in New York. Just a month ago, Go was shoved in front of an oncoming train at the Times Square subway station, sparking outrage and demands for heightened security measures in the city.
Assamad Nash, the suspect in Christina’s killing, has been charged with murder, but not as a hate crime.
Grace, who is running to represent District 65 in the State Assembly, said in her ABC interview, now private on YouTube, that Nash’s arrest does not reduce the community’s fears.
“That does not diminish the fear — the real fear — that we as Asians, as Asian women especially, are feeling,” Grace told Reshef.
Reshef concluded her coverage by referring back to David Muir, who leads the “World News Tonight” program. However, the story aired on “News Live Prime” with Linsey Davis.
To Grace’s shock, the program identified her as “Michelle Go.”
The mother of three, who also co-founded the Children First movement, called out ABC in a tweet shortly after the broadcast. She pointed out that the mistake makes Asian women even more invisible.
“@ABCWorldNews, my name is Grace Lee. I am a community activist. Michelle Go was an Asian woman who was brutally murdered last month. I was at a vigil today for Christina Yuna Lee. Your mistake is harmful and further invisibilizes Asian women,” Grace wrote, tagging Muir’s Twitter page.
It’s unclear how the error came to be and exactly which program was responsible. Regardless of the details, Twitter users criticized ABC, with some accusing the network of racism and speculating that it was intentional.
U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) and Evelyn Yang also reacted to the network’s mistake:
Featured Image via ABC News
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