Updated May 8
Bay Area advocates and community members gathered at Cesar Chavez Plaza in San Jose on Sunday to call for stronger allyship between marginalized communities and to protest the recent violence against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.
More than 200 protesters attended the “Stop Asian Hate Community Rally” where they listened to guest speakers, marched a half-mile around Downtown San Jose and participated in an open mic.
“This is not just an AAPI issue, this is a United States of America issue and we are just happy the media decided to give us a little shine and have us use it to promote everybody else,” Adam Juratovac, an organizer, said during the rally. “That’s what we want. This is not about us, it’s about everybody.”
Juratovac organized the first “Stop Asian Hate Rally” on March 21 at San Jose City Hall, which had more than 500 attendees. Juratovac’s advocacy work has also gained attention from his TikTok account with more than 400,000 followers.
At the beginning of the pandemic, Juratovac’s initial goals were to provide legal help for unemployed individuals, but he eventually used his platform to advocate for AAPI communities and promote community engagement.
Juratovac said the March 21 rally was organized in only four days, with “47 pieces of content” through TikTok and Instagram created in that time frame.
He explained the first rally was so successful because many supporters were upset about the increasing hate crimes targeted at Asian Americans in the country, especially in the Bay Area.
“It was a hard week for the nation,” Juratovac said in an interview after Sunday’s rally.
More than 3,795 hate crimes against members of the AAPI community were reported from March 19, 2020 to Feb. 28, 2021, according to the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center.
The reporting center, launched at San Francisco State, allows AAPI individuals to self-report incidents of hate, discrimination, violence and harassment.
Juratovac said the purpose of Sunday’s rally was to unite different communities and stand against Asian hate and other forms of discrimination in various marginalized groups.
Guest speakers at the rally also shared stories of issues surrounding sexual abuse and discrimination within the LGBTQ community.
“Then what is even more ingrained with you externally, outwardly with other people, is the stories you share,” Juratovac said. “We gotta talk about the good and the bad, especially because we know everyone can be better.”
Attendees were encouraged to wear black to “promote solidarity to survivors and victims of these [anti-Asian] acts of hate.”
Ashlyn So, a 13-year-old rally speaker from San Mateo, said although she’s young, speaking at the rally was important to her.
“I’m really shy and I usually don’t like speaking up in front of so many people,” So said in an interview after the rally. “But I put that aside because this is more important. It’s not even about me, it’s about all these survivors and showing support for the Asian community.”
She hoped speaking at the rally will encourage other young people to speak out against AAPI hate.
“It’s all about passing the mic and empowering others to speak up, especially for the youth,” So said.
James Huang, an Archbishop Mitty High School junior and San Jose native, was another young speaker at the rally who voiced concerns that echoed across the AAPI community.
“When will I be able to visit my grandparents and focus on their joy and the quality time we spend together instead of my relief that they have not been physically assaulted?” Huang asked.
According to the Stop AAPI Hate National Report from March 19, 2020 to Feb. 28 2021, about 45% of anti-Asian hate crimes reported to the center have occurred in California.
The site also states the numbers are likely underrepresented because the incidents are self-reported.
“The number of hate incidents reported to our center represent only a fraction of the number of hate incidents that actually occur, but it does show how vulnerable Asian Americans are to discrimination and the types of discrimination they face,” the site stated.
Betty Duong, interim division supervisor for the division of equity and social justice for Santa Clara County, said the mysterious burning of San Jose’s historic Chinatown in 1887 is an example of the long history of anti-Asian crimes in the area.
“That is our history,” Duong said in an interview after the rally. “All of the folks that are doing the work now – what is it that they’re demanding again and again and again? Dignity. Respect. Humanity.”
QR codes were passed out during the rally to promote Asian businesses that were destroyed during anti-Asian motivated crimes.
Duong said it’s critical for community members to get involved and voice their concerns.
“Decisions are being made for us, about us, without us,” Duong said. “Neighborhood associations, city councils, commission meetings and the county board of supervisors. These are the spaces where decisions are being made and we need to be there.”
Lam Nguyen, communications director for the City of San Jose, echoed the call for activists to get involved in political avenues to create change.
“Talk is cheap to me,” Nguyen said in an interview after the rally. “I’ve been part of too many of these events where after the rally is done, people leave there is no action that follows.”
He said there are “too little people in the fight” and he wants to see the community take more action.
“We have one chance in our lives to do something meaningful and change the course of not just our community but all communities,” Nguyen said. “If you don’t take that opportunity, you don't want to look back 10 years from now wondering if you could have done something.”
