This month is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. It’s fitting timing considering the news of the past few months chronicling the rise of hate crimes against AAPI people in the United States thanks to misinformation about the coronavirus, misplaced rage, and good old-fashioned racism. The violence has prompted a number of AAPI celebrities to speak up and out about the Asian American experience in the United States. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings<\/a><\/em> star Simu Liu has been one of those vocal actors, penning a poignant guest piece in March for Variety<\/a> speaking of his parents and directly to the people who just stand by while violence happens: <\/p>\n\n\n\n “For decades, I\u2019ve watched as you\u2019ve regarded them with impatience, cold indifference and a total lack of compassion. I\u2019ve seen cashiers, servers, transit operators, bank tellers and customs officers speak much too quickly on purpose as if it pained them to have to spend another second of their lives conversing with my parents. I\u2019ve heard people mock everything from their accent and their cooking to the shape of their eyes. Of course, I\u2019ve also heard the classic \u201cgo back to China\u201d more times than I can count.”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Veteran actor Daniel Dae Kim has been at the frontlines of the fight for longer than most in the industry, championing Asian inclusivity in Hollywood and fighting the rising tide of anti-AAPI hate. It’s become as much a full-time job for him as his acting career and he’s been tireless in his efforts to raise awareness with eloquent commentary like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n