AAPI students condemn Asian hate and describe years of microaggressions
Attendees at the rally to Stop Asian Hate in Amherst, photographed by Sophie-Zoe Schreyer.
November 15, 2022
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The Graphic, Amherst-Pelham Regional High School, Amherst, MA
On Saturday, March 27, the Amherst Common bustled with activity as people gathered, holding signs of support for the Asian community with slogans like “Hate is a Virus,” “Stop Asian Hate,” and “USA For All.” The rally began with AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) people sharing their stories into microphones set up on the side of the road. A chant for justice for the victims of the deadly Atlanta shooting on March 16 was later led by two protestors.
Then the microphones were opened to the crowd and community members stepped up to speak. Sadness, anger, determination, and a call for solidarity and change were echoed by each speaker.
ARHS senior McKenzie Fitz, a member of the Women’s Rights Club and an attendee of the rally, said, “As an Asian American woman, I have been incredibly upset with what has been happening with the uprising of Asian Hate crimes in this country. It scares me that this is what my AAPI community has to, and continues to face. What scares me the most is that people are not recognizing it as the huge problem it is.”
