‘Silence is never an option’: Young leaders talk issues in SC’s AAPI communities
Finding your voice is essential, especially in critical moments.
That was at least part of the message May 21 during the South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs’ Civic Engagement Conference for Asian American and Pacific Islander Youth. The conference was designed to help AAPI young adults get engaged civically and politically and to offer tips on building networks in the AAPI community.
It also featured a discussion on AAPI culture and identity with panelists including Dr. Aditi Srivastav Bussells, a public health researcher and Columbia City Council candidate; Kenneth Sloane, past president of the Clemson University Asian Student Association, and Ally Branzuela, past president of the Wofford College Asian American and Pacific Islander student organization.
The conference came amid Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and at a time when violence and hate attacks against AAPI citizens has been on the rise, particularly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization Stop AAPI Hate said it received more than 2,800 reports of anti-Asian hate from March 2020 through the end of the year.
Commission for Minority Affairs Executive Director Dr. Delores Dacosta said dialogue about AAPI culture is a key step in building understanding and moving forward.
“Silence should never be an option,” Dacosta said. “Being different should never make you feel uncomfortable. The only way we can change that is to voice our concerns and educate people about it. That’s what we do at the commission. We need to know how we can educate people more about the culture. Your culture is who you are.”
Bussells, who works with the Children’s Trust of South Carolina, is bidding to become the first Indian American woman on Columbia City Council. At the May 21 conference she talked about bringing light to the issues of the AAPI communities in South Carolina, a state where race is often thought of strictly in terms of Black or white.
“What I can certainly do is increase awareness that there are more than just two races in South Carolina,” Bussells said. “And increase awareness that with other racial groups comes some really incredible opportunities to celebrate and increase our inclusivity and who is involved in decision-making and what types of families we are serving. I think, realizing that it is a time when people are really starting to reckon with the racial diversity of this country, that it is time for me to step up.”
Branzuela noted that AAPI young people have traditionally had comparatively few role models in the media and pop culture in the past. She remembered watching YouTuber Ryan Higa when she was younger, and marveling at the idea that he had millions of subscribers to his channel.
But she noted AAPI visibility is starting to rise in Western pop culture.
“I really listen to K-pop (Korean pop music) a lot,” Branzuela said. “As ironic or stupid as it may sound, I really look up to a lot of K-pop idols, because, for now, it’s like East Asians are considered attractive and a big thing now in the West. That’s really cool for me.”
Violence and hate crimes against Asian citizens has grabbed headlines throughout 2021. As disturbing as the trend is, Sloane said it has pried open the doors to new conversations at Clemson and elsewhere.
“We’ve really had this opportunity to talk to administrators,” Sloane said at the recent conference. “It kind of sucks that it had to be in the context of the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans in the last year, because of the pandemic. But it has allowed us to get a foot in the door with administration to talk about the issues that matter to our population. We’ve had conversations about trying to increase enrollment for AAPI students. ... Having that role as a leader to represent those interests was really important.”
The rising movement to raise awareness of the issues facing the AAPI community comes at a time when America also has been in the throes of grappling with racial justice for Black people, particularly through the many protests following the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minnesota.
Bussells said it is important for marginalized groups to stand together in the pursuit of equity.
“In order for us all to see equity and justice and fairness, it comes down to making sure that our Black brothers and sisters are receiving the same,” she said. “It’s been a very unique time seeing the racial reckoning around the murder of George Floyd and some of the conversations that have happened there, along with some of the recent hate attacks and violence against Asian people. I’ve learned a lot about how we should all stand together and make sure we are uplifting other minority groups, as well.”
