Western Queens Council Candidate Julie Won at a rally against Asian hate in Manhattan (Julie Won via Twitter)
March 3, 2021 By Allie Griffin
Two City Council candidates who are vying for the 26th Council District seat in western Queens are joining together this weekend to host a rally against Asian hate.
Julie Won and Steven Raga are hosting the “Stand Up Against Asian Hate” rally on Saturday, March 6 at Bliss Plaza, located at 46th Street and Queens Boulevard. The rally will begin at 1 p.m.
Won, a first-generation Korean immigrant, and Raga, a Filipino American, have organized the rally in response to a recent uptick in attacks against Asian New Yorkers.
Last month there were at least two such attacks in Queens alone, including one incident in which a 52-year-old Asian woman was shoved to the ground by a man in Flushing.
The recent jump in anti-Asian attacks comes after a year of increased Asian bias–primarily tied to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There were 28 hate crimes against Asian Americans in New York last year, compared to just three in 2019, according to the NYPD.
Won said racism against Asian Americans has been a longstanding issue that has been missing from the traditional “Black and White” race narrative in the U.S. It has also been compounded by the “model minority” myth that has pitted the Asian community against other communities of color, she said.
“In our multi-racial city, we must stand in solidarity against racism of all forms to dismantle the system that nurtures inequities,” Won said. “As a city, acknowledging anti-Asian racism is a crucial step in our anti-racist work. It’s not Black against white, it’s everyone against racism.”
The rise in bias attacks against Asian Americans was what prompted Raga, a board member of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), to run for City Council.
“We need to address these issues,” Raga told the Queens Post last month. “The city has played down this issue for far too long.”
Western Queens Council Candidate Steven Raga with Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer at an earlier rally against Asian hate in Manhattan (Steven Raga via Twitter)
The Queens rally will be held exactly a week after a Manhattan “Rise Up Against Asian Hate” rally organized by the Asian American Federation.
Raga and Won are two of roughly 20 candidates running to represent Sunnyside, Woodside, Long Island City and parts of Astoria in the City Council.
The seat is currently held by term-limited Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, who is running for Queens Borough President.
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7 Comments
Do the community leaders only come out when someone black is attacked? At least with this protest there won’t be any looting, destroying of property and no attacks on the police or innocent people.
Funny that most of the racist crimes against Jews and Asians in this city are committed by Hispanics and African Americans. This fact is buried by the liberal media. Print that SSP!
What do they mean “Asian Hate”? Are all of these “Asians ” being attacked? Or are the brain washed , closed minded labeler’s limiting the term Asian to Chinese people. There are 48 countries in Asia. I never heard one person say, “Hi, I am North American”. However, I do hear, I am Canadian, American, Mexican, etc. etc. They are Chinese, or Korean crime victims, and unless it is specifically mentioned that they are being attacked because of their race , then it is not a “HATE CRIME”. People of different ethnicities, races, and continents are being beaten, slashed, push on to train tracks, and killed on the filthy subway system on a daily basis, many of them are black or Hispanic. Why isn’t it a “HATE CRIME”? NO ONE IS TARGETTING ASIANS, Chinese , Koreans, maybe, the majority of “ASIANS”, haven’t been touched.
1 China
2 India
3 Indonesia
4 Pakistan
5 Bangladesh
6 Japan
7 Philippines
8 Vietnam
9 Turkey
10 Iran
11 Thailand
12 Myanmar
13 South Korea
14 Iraq
15 Afghanistan
16 Saudi Arabia
17 Uzbekistan
18 Malaysia
19 Yemen
20 Nepal
21 North Korea
22 Sri Lanka
23 Kazakhstan
24 Syria
25 Cambodia
26 Jordan
27 Azerbaijan
28 United Arab Emirates
29 Tajikistan
30 Israel
31 Laos
32 Lebanon
33 Kyrgyzstan
34 Turkmenistan
35 Singapore
36 Oman
37 State of Palestine
38 Kuwait
39 Georgia
40 Mongolia
41 Armenia
42 Qatar
43 Bahrain
44 Timor-Leste
45 Cyprus
46 Bhutan
47 Maldives
48 Brunei
49 Russia
Asians will always be perceived as weak if they keep pandering to black and brown causes, in hopes that they turn around and give them a hug. You can’t use the race card on everything. Individuals and groups need to take accountability.
Won is mad because asians are considered a model minority. There is shame in being education oriented and being known as hard workers? Should Indian Americans be shamed because they have the highest income in the nation? Who cares what black and brown and communities think of you? You should act like them? Stop appearing the same people who have been hostile to you, and your parents.
Great. Hate and bigotry should never be tolerated. But two questions, why is nobody address the main source of the bias attacks against them and why doesn’t anyone stand up for caucasians when they are victimized?
This ridiculous situation we’re in and the fact that so many have NO idea what social distancing is?
It is awful that violent acts happen against anyone for their race, color or religion
But I hate to see parents expose their kids to this evil.
When we were children we weren’t allowed to watch everything on tv because we shield children from evil, violence, harsh language, adult content etc. Etc. Let the kids play in the play ground together and have fun that’s the best way to fight bigotry.