Saweetie, an American rapper of Chinese, Filipino and Black descent, has recently spoken out about the rising hate crimes against Asian Americans across the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Using your platform: In an interview with TMZ Live on Monday for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Saweetie talked about the role of social media in bringing awareness to anti-Asian violence.
- She explained that social media enables users to “circulate and showcase what’s happening in real-time.”
- “It’s unfortunate that it took this long, but I’m happy that there is slowly change happening for the better,” she said.
Close to home: Saweetie offered her thoughts on the growing violence, such as the recent attack on an elderly Asian woman in New York City which she says “could have been my grandmother.”
- “We should all feel comfortable and safe and protected while walking down the street,” she added.
- As for the purpose of the #StopAsianHate campaign, Saweetie believes people must “unlearn the hate that was taught to them and condoned” through education.
- “I think the more we talk about it, the more events we have, and the more we strive to raise awareness, we can slowly start to undo those strings of hate.”
Saweetie will join Jhené Aiko in a performance for Friday’s AAPI Heritage Month special “See Us Unite for Change.” Ken Jeong is set to host the show, with appearances by Daniel Dae Kim and Lisa Ling, organized by MTV Entertainment Studios in partnership with The Asian American Foundation.
Featured Image via TMZ
