Stop Asian hate: Dear people who try to silence our voices – an open poem

Dear people who try to silence our voices,
You keep saying race isn’t a factor,
But these crimes have given us no other choices,
And we don’t need you being a detractor.

Asian people everywhere are already living in fear,
Fear of being the next victim left for dead,
The fact is this has worsened over the past year,
But the majority of attacks have been left unsaid.

Then you come in here to say it’s not about race,
Just because an attacker might claim it’s not,
You claim it’s nothing to do with the victim’s country of origin, skin colour or face,
But your ignorance of the wider issue says a lot.

This isn’t just about the one big news that has left us fearful and sad,
It’s also about all the other attacks that have occurred,
The media’s relative silence on them drives us mad,
And all we want is for our pleas and stories to be heard.

So do not deflect the reality that racism is real,
We will not stop supporting our own,
Because too many of you keep your lips sealed,
So we will make our presence be known.

Did you hear about the professor who was targeted and hit?
Or the elderly lady who fought off her assailant?
Probably not as the media barely mentioned it,
That or you are just not really surveillant.

We’ve all seen anti-Chinese comments posted on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook,
That go by unchallenged and unreported,
They are being agreed with, ignored or overlooked,
This is why so many of us feel unsupported.

You turn a blind eye online,
You turn a deaf ear outside,
But only now when it’s making headlines,
Are your eyes opened wide.

And still because no racial motive has been officially declared,
It’s not enough for you to wake up and see what’s happening,
You continue to argue your point of “we are one race” on everything shared,
And it’s both unsurprising and deeply saddening.

So it looks like more people need to be attacked and killed,
With an overt racist motive that again affects our community,
But will you then speak up, stay quiet or deflect it still?
It’s up to you but now’s your opportunity.

You seem to want us to suffer in silence,
But we say no the hate and no to the violence,
And we say no more to being quiet,
If you can’t say anything without trying to argue then maybe you should try it.

© Choon Young Tan/陈俊扬, 2021

For more information, read here and here.