There has always been a problem with racism and othering towards the AAPI community here in the United States, but there has been a massive uptick in the number of incidents involving hate crimes and attacks since the beginning of COVID. Many of these individuals being targeted are Americans, born and raised in this country. How did we get to this point of having so much hate towards our brothers and sisters in our communities? And why are people pointing the COVID-finger at them?
On this episode of The GoGedders Podcast, Richie is joined by three Milwaukee community members to have a candid conversation about the Anti-Asian movement that has swept the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are joined by: Erik Kennedy, a returning GoGedder who is a community leader at Advocate Aurora; Alexa Alfaro, co-founder of Meat on the Street; and Shary Tran, who works for Amazon as the Executive Program Manager Diversity and Inclusion. Erik, Alexa, and Shary are all also members of the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islanders) Coalition of Wisconsin and have been named among Wisconsin’s most influential Asians. Together, we dig into and expose these issues. Listen to the full podcast to find out how you can help be an ally to the AAPI community.