Sandra Oh is standing up for her community.
The former Grey’s Anatomy star made a passionate speech during a Stop Asian Hate rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, to discuss the recent surge in hate crimes against Asian Americans and how people can help support the community.
“For many of us in our community, this is the first time we are even able to voice our fear and our anger, and I really am so grateful to everyone willing to listen,” Oh says in video posted on social media. “One thing that I know is that many in our community are very scared, and I understand that. And one way to go through our fear is to reach out to our community.”
“To everyone here… I will challenge everyone here, if you see something, will you help me? If you see one of our sisters and brothers in need, will you help us?” she continues, as people yell back, “Yes!” “We must understand, as Asian Americans, we just need to reach out our hand to our sisters and brothers and say, ‘Help me and I’m here.'”
Earlier this week, a string of shootings involving three Atlanta-area spas took place with eight people killed in the attacks, six of those people being of Asian descent. During a Wednesday press conference, police announced that a 21-year-old man had been arrested for and confessed to the rampage, though he claimed it wasn’t racially motivated.
The shootings came amid increasing rates of racial violence against Asian Americans, which have skyrocketed since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Stop AAPI Hate, which was created in response to the increase in anti-Asian hate crimes amid the pandemic, released a report stating that it received 3,795 reports of incidents between March 2020 and February 2021.
Celebrities like Rihanna, Pharrell Williams, Ariana Grande, Joe Jonas, Mindy Kaling, LeBron James and more took to social media in the wake of the incidents and provided resources for people who want to help.
Daniel Dae Kim also spoke out against the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in America, addressing the issue while speaking at a congressional hearing on Thursday. During the hearing, he urged lawmakers to support legislation aimed at protecting those who are being targeted by acts of hate and domestic terror.
Kim also called out Republican lawmakers who refused to vote to pass a resolution last year condemning the rise of anti-Asian sentiment in the U.S.
