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"title": "How fnnch’s Honey Bears Became the Most Despised Street Art in San Francisco",
"headTitle": "How fnnch’s Honey Bears Became the Most Despised Street Art in San Francisco | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>In the summer of 2018, I put together \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/102978/a-guide-to-san-francisco-murals-and-the-artists-who-make-them\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a guide to six prolific muralists\u003c/a> in San Francisco, including maps of where to find their work. The idea was to create city walks that doubled as art treasure hunts, and to encourage people to learn more about some of our most visible local artists. The list included \u003ca href=\"https://sillypinkbunnies.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jeremy Fish\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"http://www.sirronnorris.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sirron Norris\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.fewandfarwomen.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Few and Far Women\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://samflores.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sam Flores\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"http://theapexer.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">APEXER\u003c/a> and—try not to hate me—\u003ca href=\"https://fnnch.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fnnch\u003c/a>, the artist behind all those honey bears plastered everywhere in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, fnnch was as well known for his poppies, dogs and bright lips as he was for his honey bears. And at the time, I described his artistic contributions to the city as the “most Instagram-able” on the list, adding that each of his public pieces made the city “a more cheerful place to be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Almost three years later, I cannot, in good conscience, say the same thing. In the past 12 months, San Francisco has become so oversaturated with fnnch’s honey bears that what was once an occasional sugar rush now feels like a nausea-inducing force-feeding. And I’m not alone: the backlash, brewing since last summer, finally reached its zenith this month. There’s a new (private) Instagram account, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fuckfnnch/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@fuckfnnch\u003c/a>, that celebrates “pics or videos of dissed or ripped bears.” There’s a Change.org petition titled “\u003ca href=\"https://www.change.org/p/sf-lgbt-center-remove-fnnch-mural-from-sf-lgbt-center?source_location=petitions_browse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Remove fnnch mural from SF LGBT Center\u003c/a>.” And, notably, there are the local artists who’ve been confronting fnnch on \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/COD3Gg1BpH7/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">walls\u003c/a>, in person and online.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.instagram.com/p/CON1e9Hhwap/\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the most visible and vocal is \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rickyratcomix/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ricky Rat\u003c/a>, whose stories on Instagram often feature montages of honey bear destruction, parodies and badmouthing. “I don’t care where you’re from, but if you’re not doing something directly positive that reflects the real community, then I won’t support it,” \u003ca href=\"https://thebolditalic.com/san-franciscos-honey-bears-harmlessly-cute-or-symbols-of-gentrification-a1cdf925b1f1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ricky told the \u003cem>Bold Italic\u003c/em>\u003c/a> last August. “[fnnch] didn’t invent gentrification, but he most publicly represents what it’s about.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13896331\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13896331\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-rat-bear-800x495.jpg\" alt=\"A collection of images featured on Ricky Rat's Instagram stories, on Monday April 26, 2021.\" width=\"800\" height=\"495\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-rat-bear-800x495.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-rat-bear-1020x631.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-rat-bear-160x99.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-rat-bear-768x475.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-rat-bear-1536x951.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-rat-bear-2048x1267.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-rat-bear-1920x1188.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A collection of images featured on Ricky Rat’s Instagram stories, on Monday April 26, 2021. \u003ccite>(Instagram/ @rickyratcomix)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Last week, local artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/doggtowndro/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DoggTown Dro\u003c/a> uploaded a video of himself confronting fnnch and two of his assistants. The three were apparently cleaning “FUCK FNNCH” graffiti off the trio of honey bears on the side of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfcenter.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LGBT Center\u003c/a> when Dro arrived. “These bears have become synonymous with gentrification in San Francisco,” he told fnnch, “and the displacement of the artists that come from here.” At one point during the exchange, fnnch refers to himself as an “immigrant” from Missouri, a moment \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=fnnch%20immigrant&src=typed_query\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">seized upon by his critics\u003c/a> over the weekend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.instagram.com/p/CN-qwbvBoIR/\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back when I wrote that mural guide, in 2018, fnnch was not a favorite within the art community—but he wasn’t this despised, either. He was seen as too generic, too clean-cut, too… \u003cem>safe\u003c/em>. But he held a mainstream appeal that few artists who paint on city walls hold. He was, to put it bluntly, a street artist for people who don’t actually like street art. If regular street artists were the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmoma.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SFMOMA\u003c/a>, fnnch was the \u003ca href=\"https://tickets.museumoficecream.com/event/museum-of-ice-cream-san-fran\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Museum of Ice Cream\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>fnnch’s latest problems, however, are rooted in his transition from public selfie backgrounds into the realm of community issues, where he distills serious topics down into his honey bear image. And he’s been doing that, in earnest, since the pandemic began.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13896515']It started harmlessly enough. In April 2020, fnnch began, according to one of his newsletters, “wheat-pasting COVID Bears on boarded up storefronts across San Francisco.” At the time, he said he wanted to “convert depressing storefronts into canvases for art, and encourage healthy behavior.” Then, in May, he came up with the #HoneyBearHunt. It was a more urban take on what was happening in the suburbs during the early days of shelter in place: instead of putting actual teddy bears in windows for neighborhood children, people could display fnnch’s honey bear, and kids could follow his virtual map to find them. He sold 3,500 bear window displays in four days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the year since, fnnch—a straight, white, former tech worker—has been bombarding San Francisco with those bears. After the initial mask and soap bears for the #HoneyBearHunt, there was a woefully \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/sanfrancisco/comments/gygx2e/fnnch_bear_blackface/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ill-advised\u003c/a>—then \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CBY7kg5JUax/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">re-imagined\u003c/a>—Black Lives Matter-inspired bear. There was a bear to encourage voting. There was a Ruth Bader Ginsburg bear, a firefighter bear, a teacher bear, a coffee house bear (which fnnch said symbolized the “many everyday heroes of the pandemic”), a San Francisco Ballet bear, a movie bear and, most recently, a Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence bear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13896343\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13896343\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-comix-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"This critique of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence honey bear recently appeared on Ricky Rat's Instagram account.\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-comix-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-comix-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-comix-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-comix-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-comix-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-comix-2048x2048.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-comix-1920x1920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This critique of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence honey bear recently appeared on Ricky Rat’s Instagram account. \u003ccite>(Instagram/ @rickyratcomix)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One of the reasons people kept buying the bears was because most of them, in one way or another, support a good cause. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will receive 50% of funds from fnnch’s painting and print sales in their likeness. Mask bear and soap bear raised over $100,000 for \u003ca href=\"https://www.safetynetfund.io/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Safety Net Fund\u003c/a>. Of the firefighter bear sales, 50% benefited the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cafirefoundation.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CAL FIRE Foundation\u003c/a>. The SF Ballet got “50% of [related] art sales and 25% of other sales … to support their extensive COVID testing of dancers and staff.” Ten percent of the profits from the movie bear print went to \u003ca href=\"https://www.roxie.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Roxie\u003c/a>. A line of T-shirts donated 25% of sales to \u003ca href=\"https://www.stanthonysf.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">St. Anthony’s\u003c/a>, a nonprofit community organization. As fnnch himself noted in one of his regular newsletters, he “went from raising or donating $12,000 in 2019 to $293,000 in 2020.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13890127']After the uproar that greeted his initial attempt at a BLM-inspired bear, an image that people likened to blackface, fnnch donated 50% of proceeds from his subsequent “Ally Bear” to the \u003ca href=\"https://eji.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Equal Justice Initiative\u003c/a>, and the other 50% to \u003ca href=\"https://www.yelp.com/biz/newbills-barber-shop-and-salon-san-francisco-6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Newbills Barber Shop and Salon\u003c/a> on Divisadero. It was a rare occasion when the artist himself did not also profit from a design.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What is less acknowledged when it comes to fnnch, though, is the primary reason people in the city are so sick of him. He has figured out a way to dominate public space, and without any of the risks or consequences that art that lives in public usually faces. (Such as weather damage, tagging, etc.) Honey bears pasted onto shuttered storefronts will have a shelf life of weeks. Honey bears stuck up safely inside people’s windows, protected by the rules of private property, can live indefinitely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which is how you end up with this:\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13896344\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13896344\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/Screen-Shot-2021-04-26-at-5.48.51-PM-800x536.png\" alt=\"fnnch's own map of honey bear saturation in San Francisco demonstrates how few spaces remain bear-free.\" width=\"800\" height=\"536\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/Screen-Shot-2021-04-26-at-5.48.51-PM-800x536.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/Screen-Shot-2021-04-26-at-5.48.51-PM-1020x684.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/Screen-Shot-2021-04-26-at-5.48.51-PM-160x107.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/Screen-Shot-2021-04-26-at-5.48.51-PM-768x515.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/Screen-Shot-2021-04-26-at-5.48.51-PM-1536x1029.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/Screen-Shot-2021-04-26-at-5.48.51-PM.png 1898w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">fnnch’s own map of honey bear saturation in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Instagram/ @fnnch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>What’s worse, even at his current level of over-saturation, fnnch’s commitment to blanketing the city with a single image is only getting more aggressive. He specified in his January newsletter that people buying prints for his second honey bear hunt must display the bears in their windows for “at least 3 months.” He added, “It would be swell if you kept it up for the duration of the pandemic, but … after 3 months I will reach out with a survey to see if you’d like to keep your bear up longer.” Children haven’t been this invested in teddy bear hunts in months. So why keep up the proliferation? What’s in it for fnnch?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>fnnch’s honey bear now occupies every type of space in San Francisco: the windows of private homes, public walls, institutional facades, and, as of April, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CNpzXw6JnxG/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">inside bus shelters\u003c/a> and on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CN-iAjbpm6_/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sides of Muni buses\u003c/a>. Through sheer force of their omnipresence, fnnch’s honey bears are coming to define the city as a place that embraces a kind of bland homogeneity, even in its street art. This is the crux of the disconnect between fnnch and San Francisco writ large: How can the repetition of one image uplift a community that has long prided itself on its heterogeneity? That he continues his honey bear output isn’t just ill-advised, it speaks to how much he still doesn’t understand his adopted home of San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In the summer of 2018, I put together \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/102978/a-guide-to-san-francisco-murals-and-the-artists-who-make-them\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a guide to six prolific muralists\u003c/a> in San Francisco, including maps of where to find their work. The idea was to create city walks that doubled as art treasure hunts, and to encourage people to learn more about some of our most visible local artists. The list included \u003ca href=\"https://sillypinkbunnies.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jeremy Fish\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"http://www.sirronnorris.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sirron Norris\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.fewandfarwomen.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Few and Far Women\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://samflores.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sam Flores\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"http://theapexer.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">APEXER\u003c/a> and—try not to hate me—\u003ca href=\"https://fnnch.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fnnch\u003c/a>, the artist behind all those honey bears plastered everywhere in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, fnnch was as well known for his poppies, dogs and bright lips as he was for his honey bears. And at the time, I described his artistic contributions to the city as the “most Instagram-able” on the list, adding that each of his public pieces made the city “a more cheerful place to be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Almost three years later, I cannot, in good conscience, say the same thing. In the past 12 months, San Francisco has become so oversaturated with fnnch’s honey bears that what was once an occasional sugar rush now feels like a nausea-inducing force-feeding. And I’m not alone: the backlash, brewing since last summer, finally reached its zenith this month. There’s a new (private) Instagram account, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fuckfnnch/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@fuckfnnch\u003c/a>, that celebrates “pics or videos of dissed or ripped bears.” There’s a Change.org petition titled “\u003ca href=\"https://www.change.org/p/sf-lgbt-center-remove-fnnch-mural-from-sf-lgbt-center?source_location=petitions_browse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Remove fnnch mural from SF LGBT Center\u003c/a>.” And, notably, there are the local artists who’ve been confronting fnnch on \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/COD3Gg1BpH7/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">walls\u003c/a>, in person and online.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>One of the most visible and vocal is \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rickyratcomix/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ricky Rat\u003c/a>, whose stories on Instagram often feature montages of honey bear destruction, parodies and badmouthing. “I don’t care where you’re from, but if you’re not doing something directly positive that reflects the real community, then I won’t support it,” \u003ca href=\"https://thebolditalic.com/san-franciscos-honey-bears-harmlessly-cute-or-symbols-of-gentrification-a1cdf925b1f1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ricky told the \u003cem>Bold Italic\u003c/em>\u003c/a> last August. “[fnnch] didn’t invent gentrification, but he most publicly represents what it’s about.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13896331\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13896331\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-rat-bear-800x495.jpg\" alt=\"A collection of images featured on Ricky Rat's Instagram stories, on Monday April 26, 2021.\" width=\"800\" height=\"495\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-rat-bear-800x495.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-rat-bear-1020x631.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-rat-bear-160x99.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-rat-bear-768x475.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-rat-bear-1536x951.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-rat-bear-2048x1267.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-rat-bear-1920x1188.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A collection of images featured on Ricky Rat’s Instagram stories, on Monday April 26, 2021. \u003ccite>(Instagram/ @rickyratcomix)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Last week, local artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/doggtowndro/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DoggTown Dro\u003c/a> uploaded a video of himself confronting fnnch and two of his assistants. The three were apparently cleaning “FUCK FNNCH” graffiti off the trio of honey bears on the side of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfcenter.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LGBT Center\u003c/a> when Dro arrived. “These bears have become synonymous with gentrification in San Francisco,” he told fnnch, “and the displacement of the artists that come from here.” At one point during the exchange, fnnch refers to himself as an “immigrant” from Missouri, a moment \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=fnnch%20immigrant&src=typed_query\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">seized upon by his critics\u003c/a> over the weekend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Back when I wrote that mural guide, in 2018, fnnch was not a favorite within the art community—but he wasn’t this despised, either. He was seen as too generic, too clean-cut, too… \u003cem>safe\u003c/em>. But he held a mainstream appeal that few artists who paint on city walls hold. He was, to put it bluntly, a street artist for people who don’t actually like street art. If regular street artists were the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmoma.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SFMOMA\u003c/a>, fnnch was the \u003ca href=\"https://tickets.museumoficecream.com/event/museum-of-ice-cream-san-fran\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Museum of Ice Cream\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>fnnch’s latest problems, however, are rooted in his transition from public selfie backgrounds into the realm of community issues, where he distills serious topics down into his honey bear image. And he’s been doing that, in earnest, since the pandemic began.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>It started harmlessly enough. In April 2020, fnnch began, according to one of his newsletters, “wheat-pasting COVID Bears on boarded up storefronts across San Francisco.” At the time, he said he wanted to “convert depressing storefronts into canvases for art, and encourage healthy behavior.” Then, in May, he came up with the #HoneyBearHunt. It was a more urban take on what was happening in the suburbs during the early days of shelter in place: instead of putting actual teddy bears in windows for neighborhood children, people could display fnnch’s honey bear, and kids could follow his virtual map to find them. He sold 3,500 bear window displays in four days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the year since, fnnch—a straight, white, former tech worker—has been bombarding San Francisco with those bears. After the initial mask and soap bears for the #HoneyBearHunt, there was a woefully \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/sanfrancisco/comments/gygx2e/fnnch_bear_blackface/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ill-advised\u003c/a>—then \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CBY7kg5JUax/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">re-imagined\u003c/a>—Black Lives Matter-inspired bear. There was a bear to encourage voting. There was a Ruth Bader Ginsburg bear, a firefighter bear, a teacher bear, a coffee house bear (which fnnch said symbolized the “many everyday heroes of the pandemic”), a San Francisco Ballet bear, a movie bear and, most recently, a Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence bear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13896343\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13896343\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-comix-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"This critique of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence honey bear recently appeared on Ricky Rat's Instagram account.\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-comix-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-comix-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-comix-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-comix-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-comix-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-comix-2048x2048.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/ricky-comix-1920x1920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This critique of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence honey bear recently appeared on Ricky Rat’s Instagram account. \u003ccite>(Instagram/ @rickyratcomix)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One of the reasons people kept buying the bears was because most of them, in one way or another, support a good cause. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will receive 50% of funds from fnnch’s painting and print sales in their likeness. Mask bear and soap bear raised over $100,000 for \u003ca href=\"https://www.safetynetfund.io/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Safety Net Fund\u003c/a>. Of the firefighter bear sales, 50% benefited the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cafirefoundation.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CAL FIRE Foundation\u003c/a>. The SF Ballet got “50% of [related] art sales and 25% of other sales … to support their extensive COVID testing of dancers and staff.” Ten percent of the profits from the movie bear print went to \u003ca href=\"https://www.roxie.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Roxie\u003c/a>. A line of T-shirts donated 25% of sales to \u003ca href=\"https://www.stanthonysf.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">St. Anthony’s\u003c/a>, a nonprofit community organization. As fnnch himself noted in one of his regular newsletters, he “went from raising or donating $12,000 in 2019 to $293,000 in 2020.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>After the uproar that greeted his initial attempt at a BLM-inspired bear, an image that people likened to blackface, fnnch donated 50% of proceeds from his subsequent “Ally Bear” to the \u003ca href=\"https://eji.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Equal Justice Initiative\u003c/a>, and the other 50% to \u003ca href=\"https://www.yelp.com/biz/newbills-barber-shop-and-salon-san-francisco-6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Newbills Barber Shop and Salon\u003c/a> on Divisadero. It was a rare occasion when the artist himself did not also profit from a design.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What is less acknowledged when it comes to fnnch, though, is the primary reason people in the city are so sick of him. He has figured out a way to dominate public space, and without any of the risks or consequences that art that lives in public usually faces. (Such as weather damage, tagging, etc.) Honey bears pasted onto shuttered storefronts will have a shelf life of weeks. Honey bears stuck up safely inside people’s windows, protected by the rules of private property, can live indefinitely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which is how you end up with this:\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13896344\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13896344\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/Screen-Shot-2021-04-26-at-5.48.51-PM-800x536.png\" alt=\"fnnch's own map of honey bear saturation in San Francisco demonstrates how few spaces remain bear-free.\" width=\"800\" height=\"536\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/Screen-Shot-2021-04-26-at-5.48.51-PM-800x536.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/Screen-Shot-2021-04-26-at-5.48.51-PM-1020x684.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/Screen-Shot-2021-04-26-at-5.48.51-PM-160x107.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/Screen-Shot-2021-04-26-at-5.48.51-PM-768x515.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/Screen-Shot-2021-04-26-at-5.48.51-PM-1536x1029.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/Screen-Shot-2021-04-26-at-5.48.51-PM.png 1898w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">fnnch’s own map of honey bear saturation in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Instagram/ @fnnch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>What’s worse, even at his current level of over-saturation, fnnch’s commitment to blanketing the city with a single image is only getting more aggressive. He specified in his January newsletter that people buying prints for his second honey bear hunt must display the bears in their windows for “at least 3 months.” He added, “It would be swell if you kept it up for the duration of the pandemic, but … after 3 months I will reach out with a survey to see if you’d like to keep your bear up longer.” Children haven’t been this invested in teddy bear hunts in months. So why keep up the proliferation? What’s in it for fnnch?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>fnnch’s honey bear now occupies every type of space in San Francisco: the windows of private homes, public walls, institutional facades, and, as of April, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CNpzXw6JnxG/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">inside bus shelters\u003c/a> and on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CN-iAjbpm6_/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sides of Muni buses\u003c/a>. Through sheer force of their omnipresence, fnnch’s honey bears are coming to define the city as a place that embraces a kind of bland homogeneity, even in its street art. This is the crux of the disconnect between fnnch and San Francisco writ large: How can the repetition of one image uplift a community that has long prided itself on its heterogeneity? That he continues his honey bear output isn’t just ill-advised, it speaks to how much he still doesn’t understand his adopted home of San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Public Safety for Asian Americans Starts with Nurturing Our Communities",
"headTitle": "Public Safety for Asian Americans Starts with Nurturing Our Communities | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[dropcap]A[/dropcap]n “89-year-old grandma, who was brutally attacked on San Francisco playground, dies 1 year later,” read the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/yik-oi-huang-sf-grandma-dies-san-francisco-visitacion-valley/5815366/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ABC7 News headline\u003c/span>\u003c/a> from January 2020\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. At the time, COVID-19 had only recently arrived in the United States, and I’d stumbled upon the article while trying to learn more about a video I’d seen circulating of an elderly Asian man \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/san-francisco-police-elderly-man-attacked-bayview-neighborhood-visitacion-valley/5964588/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">who was harassed and assaulted\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> while collecting cans in San Francisco. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since the pandemic began, many of us (\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13880441/asian-american-protest-art-pandemic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">myself included\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">) have held former President Trump’s xenophobic rhetoric responsible for the surge in anti-Asian sentiment and violence across the country. His comments calling the novel coronavirus a “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/us/politics/china-virus.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chinese virus\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">” or “Kung Flu\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">” for which the U.S. should “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3104611/donald-trump-new-video-vows-make-china-pay-coronavirus-pandemic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[make] China pay\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">” have undoubtedly poured fuel on the flame. But reading about the 2019 attack on a grandmother reminded me of a haunting, unshakeable truth: This anti-Asian violence is nothing new.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since the first wave of Chinese laborers arrived in the U.S. in the 1850s, Asians in America have occupied the role of “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3092701/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">perpetual foreigners\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">” and been subjected to violence and animosity for our existence as “outsiders” in this country. Despite some recent attention, in general, that history isn’t commonly taught. Few people know, for instance, that the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/blogs/lapl/chinese-massacre-1871\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chinese Massacre of 1871\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in Los Angeles was the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://academic.oup.com/jah/article-abstract/100/1/217/747629?redirectedFrom=fulltext\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">largest mass lynching\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in U.S. history, or that most of San Francisco’s Chinatown was burned down during the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/1877-san-francisco-anti-chinese-race-riots-11302710.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Riots of 1877\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">—when mobs of white laborers stormed the neighborhood, burning buildings and killing Chinese workers in anger that they were taking over the workforce. [aside postid='arts_13894352']\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It doesn’t matter how many years have passed, or how well white elites say Asians have integrated into America’s cultural fabric. T\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">he sentiment that we do not belong in this country always returns in times of \u003ca href=\"https://news.berkeley.edu/2021/03/17/berkeley-expert-in-times-of-crisis-anti-asian-violence-is-an-american-tradition/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">crisis or socioeconomic hardship\u003c/a>. And in the Bay Area, a space heavily impacted by meteoric gentrification and the constant threat of displacement, that state of crisis can feel constant for many communities.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[dropcap]T[/dropcap]hat 89-year-old grandmother I read about was Yik Oi Huang. In January 2019, she \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-loving-memories-of-grandma-huang\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">was brutally attacked\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> while doing her daily morning exercise at a park in Visitacion Valley in an attempt to rob her house across the street. She was kept on life support until early 2020, when she ultimately passed away from her injuries. That same year, three elderly men in San Francisco Chinatown were also \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/Violent-beating-of-three-seniors-in-San-14826900.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">violently beaten and robbed\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even now, writing about these attacks leaves me with feelings that are hard to parse. On one hand, there’s the grief—the mourning for those who suffered and those who’ve passed, something we’ve faced over and over again this year. Then there’s the rage. And beyond that is a deep-rooted despair at the system that’s failed our most vulnerable, and how little we’ve done to stop it.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='large']\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It doesn’t matter how many years have passed, or how well white elites say Asians have integrated into America’s cultural fabric. T\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">he sentiment that we do not belong in this country always returns in times of crisis or socioeconomic hardship.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[/pullquote]\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In spaces ruptured by extreme wealth inequality and displacement, it can be hard to find community. Sometimes, like in our current moment, it takes a moment of crisis to come together and build. Sasanna Yee, the granddaughter of Yik Oi Huang, felt similarly after what happened to her grandmother in 2019: “Four days after her attack, I hosted and organized a healing through solidarity and song event for the community, so that we don’t have to carry this pain in isolation,” she tells me. “There was a Black community leader named \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://lihanlh.medium.com/petition-seeks-to-rename-san-francisco-park-in-remembrance-of-grandma-huang-4b7dec6fa222\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ronald Colthirst\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and he was so moved by the compassionate and collaborative nature of my work that he suggested having the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.rememberyikoihuang.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">park renamed [to Yik Oi Huang Peace and Friendship Park]\u003c/span>\u003c/a>.\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">His idea sparked a movement. Since then, Sasanna has held many gatherings and activities, like yoga or sound meditation, to foster an environment of shared safety and healing in a space that’s been tainted with trauma. “Just a couple of weeks ago, two elderly [Chinese] women came up to me and said, ‘We walked the park with your grandmother for 20 years—it could have been any of us. We were devastated to hear about her loss,’” she recalled. “They were asking if there would be more gatherings, [since we met over Zoom during COVID] so that they could feel safe, like they could use the area in peace.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sasanna started the nonprofit \u003ca href=\"http://communitiesasone.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Communities as One\u003c/a> in January of 2020 to support these events and efforts to rename the park. Working in collaboration with a landscape architect, a community gardener and Colthirst, she hopes to add street lights and seating, as well as long-term programs that work towards building multigenerational and multicultural relationships. The focus group—which has been working since May 2020 to collect signatures and letters of support for the park renaming—is “very close” to submitting the proposal to the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Commission. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“That’s what I’ve learned through all this,” Sasanna said. “It’s such a blessing because if it weren’t for my grandmother, I would probably still be in isolation doing my own thing but because of [what happened], you really need community.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[dropcap]U[/dropcap]ltimately, building community and investing in our neighborhoods are crucial elements of how Bay Area organizers work to create public safety. Oakland-based \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://apen4ej.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">), a member of the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/oakchinatowncoalition/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Oakland Chinatown Coalition\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and a leader in the current organizing movement, focuses on exactly that through their \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.chinatownimprovement.org/#chinatown-improvement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chinatown Ambassadors Program\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Founded in 2017, briefly \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/city-council-works-to-bring-back-oakland-chinatown-ambassadors-to-deter-violence/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20Chinatown%20Ambassador%20Program%20that,up%20litter%2C%20cleaning%20up%20graffiti.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">paused due to COVID in 2020\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and reinstated in 2021, the program centers neighborhood beautification, relationship-building with merchants and providing assistance for customers and residents. Originally designed as a partnership with the re-entry population, the program doesn’t depend on volunteering, which can be inconsistent. Instead, it offers formerly incarcerated folks job training opportunities—creating a sustainable, long-term framework for public safety that can also scale up through volunteers in moments we need rapid response.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I think for places like Chinatown, and I would also probably argue for Little Saigon as well, one thing to be said is ‘How does your physical environment allow you to feel safe and welcome?’” asked Alvina Wong, APEN’s campaign and organizing director. In addition to interacting with local merchants and visitors, Chinatown Ambassadors pick up trash and clear graffiti. They engage with unhoused people or those who seem lost. They file city complaints for issues like illegal dumping or cracked sidewalks. And they even put up decorations to celebrate Chinatown and breathe life into the space. [aside postid='arts_13895462']\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Similar to Sasanna’s work in Visitacion Valley, Wong feels that focusing on improving the neighborhood’s physical environment can help folks “feel a little bit more safe, to feel a little more investment that there are people looking out for you.” She continued: “Beautification isn’t just about cleaning—it’s also about using art and community to create space. Even in having space to do Tai Chi or fan dancing or play badminton—where do we actually get to infuse more of our culture? How do we allow for the environment and the space to feel alive and welcoming?”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he concept of safety extends beyond public spaces—it’s related to economic and housing security, to educational opportunities and mental health support. It’s heavily grounded in our ability to simply \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">be\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, to exist without fear in a just and equitable society. In that sense, San Francisco’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://cpasf.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chinese Progressive Association \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">(CPA\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">) has been dedicated to Asian safety by advocating for tenants, workers and students in low-income immigrant and refugee communities for the last 50 years.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For Lai Wa Wu, the organization’s policy and alliance director, working towards these long-term solutions begins with understanding the issues facing Asian communities in San Francisco. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13896337\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13896337\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/PPE-distribution-w-volunteers-800x539.jpg\" alt=\"Volunteers with masks and gloves smile for a selfie.\" width=\"800\" height=\"539\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/PPE-distribution-w-volunteers-800x539.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/PPE-distribution-w-volunteers-1020x688.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/PPE-distribution-w-volunteers-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/PPE-distribution-w-volunteers-768x518.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/PPE-distribution-w-volunteers-1536x1035.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/PPE-distribution-w-volunteers-2048x1381.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/PPE-distribution-w-volunteers-1920x1294.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Volunteers with the Chinese Progressive Association distribute personal protective equipment in the community. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the Chinese Progressive Association)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Asians represent a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://newrepublic.com/article/146587/silicon-valleys-forgotten-minority\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">significant portion of young workers in tech\u003c/span>\u003c/a>, \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">so people often overlook the fact that Asians make up over \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.apicouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Press-Release_Budget_Disparity.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">42% of people living in poverty in San Francisco\u003c/span>\u003c/a>. That’s\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> even though we’re only 35% of the city’s overall population, according to a 2017 study.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“San Francisco’s Chinatown in particular has the highest concentration of [Asian] family members who live in single-room-occupancy hotels—basically a room with grandmas, grandpas, parents, children all under one roof,” Wu said. “CPA and other allied organizations are really trying to do the work to create a different story for our working class communities—not just to survive in moments of crisis, but also to truly honor and understand the working class experience from a place of pride. And to be able to connect all of us, especially working class immigrant communities, to their fullest power and fullest human development.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In 2019, in the wake of the attacks on Yik Oi Huang and other Asian elders in San Francisco, CPA joined with three other organizations to form the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://cpasf.org/updates/san-franciscos-community-coalition-for-safety-and-justice-responds-to-gun-violence-massacre-in-atlanta/#:~:text=The%20Coalition%20for%20Community%20Safety%20and%20Justice%20(CCCJ)%2C%20comprises,our%20city's%20capacity%20to%20create\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Coalition for Community Safety and Justice\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in an effort to create comprehensive services for victims and coordinate long-term solutions around accountability. Their approach is three-pronged: expand victim services (street outreach, escort programs, mental health, legal support), create a city-wide network between community organizations and city agencies, and organize spaces for cross-racial healing and dialogue. According to Wu, the coalition received city funding in June 2020, but “to this day, it’s not fully annualized in the budget.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And it’s certainly not the first time CPA has struggled to find meaningful, consistent funding. Wu also noted that CPA has worked for over 10 years to create these long-term frameworks for Asian safety. But finding the space and funding outside of moments of crisis posed an unsurprising challenge. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wu recalled that 10 years ago, “People were naming the same concerns we’re naming today: No centralized city response, particularly to Asian crime survivors and their families. Not enough in-language outreach,” she said. “When the budget cycle came and the funds when the funds eventually left, leaders within these organizations still attempted to fill in these critical service gaps. But we can only fill these gaps for so long without sustainable resources.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now, at a moment where the need for Asian safety is more noticeable than ever, the need for community and cross-racial healing could not be clearer. From rapid response programs to long-term investments like Sasanna’s park rejuvenation, it’s undeniably time for us to come together and build this new future.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“From a really microscopic level to a large macro level, if we don’t have relationships with each other, if we don’t trust each other, we’re never really gonna be safe,” Alvina Wong of APEN shared. “I think with all the displacement and gentrification we’ve been facing in the Bay, you have communities that have been able to build with each other now being separated and pitted against each other.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wu echoed that statement: “The third piece of our strategy is often the most challenging but deepest kind of work, which is kind of cross-racial healing and community building, so that we can address the roots behind some of the racial tensions and begin to engage in dialogue that humanizes each other instead of scapegoating each other.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In a moment of such intense frustration, exhaustion and sadness, I hope our community can finally begin investing long-term in the safety of our people. I hope we feel it fully: The rage of our ancestors begging for justice, the pain of their suffering, the grief for all of those we’ve lost. And, finally, I hope we can come together to transform those feelings into change. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sasanna put it best. “You know, there’s a lot of unlearning to do. And this is an opportunity for us to get real, be authentic with our emotions, with our position in life,” she said. “And then to reach out for help and be in community—to reciprocate in community.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Ways to Get Involved\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Support Sasanna Yee’s park renaming by purchasing an \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"http://www.asians-belong.myshopify.com/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Asians Belong T-shirt\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>,\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> a project founded in the wake of her grandmother’s attack. Details \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.rememberyikoihuang.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">here\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Donate to APEN and Asian Health Services’ \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.classy.org/give/326018/#!/donation/checkout\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Victim Support Fund\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which directly provides financial resources for Asian victims of violence and the Chinatown Ambassadors Program. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Donate to the \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://cpasf.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=7\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chinese Progressive Association\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Correction: \u003c/strong>APEN’s Chinatown Ambassadors Program was launched in 2017, not 2019 as previously stated in this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Anti-Asian violence is nothing new. In the Bay Area, neighbors have been collaborating on long-term strategies to take care of one another.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">A\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>n “89-year-old grandma, who was brutally attacked on San Francisco playground, dies 1 year later,” read the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/yik-oi-huang-sf-grandma-dies-san-francisco-visitacion-valley/5815366/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ABC7 News headline\u003c/span>\u003c/a> from January 2020\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. At the time, COVID-19 had only recently arrived in the United States, and I’d stumbled upon the article while trying to learn more about a video I’d seen circulating of an elderly Asian man \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/san-francisco-police-elderly-man-attacked-bayview-neighborhood-visitacion-valley/5964588/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">who was harassed and assaulted\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> while collecting cans in San Francisco. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since the pandemic began, many of us (\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13880441/asian-american-protest-art-pandemic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">myself included\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">) have held former President Trump’s xenophobic rhetoric responsible for the surge in anti-Asian sentiment and violence across the country. His comments calling the novel coronavirus a “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/us/politics/china-virus.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chinese virus\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">” or “Kung Flu\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">” for which the U.S. should “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3104611/donald-trump-new-video-vows-make-china-pay-coronavirus-pandemic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[make] China pay\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">” have undoubtedly poured fuel on the flame. But reading about the 2019 attack on a grandmother reminded me of a haunting, unshakeable truth: This anti-Asian violence is nothing new.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since the first wave of Chinese laborers arrived in the U.S. in the 1850s, Asians in America have occupied the role of “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3092701/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">perpetual foreigners\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">” and been subjected to violence and animosity for our existence as “outsiders” in this country. Despite some recent attention, in general, that history isn’t commonly taught. Few people know, for instance, that the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/blogs/lapl/chinese-massacre-1871\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chinese Massacre of 1871\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in Los Angeles was the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://academic.oup.com/jah/article-abstract/100/1/217/747629?redirectedFrom=fulltext\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">largest mass lynching\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in U.S. history, or that most of San Francisco’s Chinatown was burned down during the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/1877-san-francisco-anti-chinese-race-riots-11302710.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Riots of 1877\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">—when mobs of white laborers stormed the neighborhood, burning buildings and killing Chinese workers in anger that they were taking over the workforce. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It doesn’t matter how many years have passed, or how well white elites say Asians have integrated into America’s cultural fabric. T\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">he sentiment that we do not belong in this country always returns in times of \u003ca href=\"https://news.berkeley.edu/2021/03/17/berkeley-expert-in-times-of-crisis-anti-asian-violence-is-an-american-tradition/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">crisis or socioeconomic hardship\u003c/a>. And in the Bay Area, a space heavily impacted by meteoric gentrification and the constant threat of displacement, that state of crisis can feel constant for many communities.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">T\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>hat 89-year-old grandmother I read about was Yik Oi Huang. In January 2019, she \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-loving-memories-of-grandma-huang\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">was brutally attacked\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> while doing her daily morning exercise at a park in Visitacion Valley in an attempt to rob her house across the street. She was kept on life support until early 2020, when she ultimately passed away from her injuries. That same year, three elderly men in San Francisco Chinatown were also \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/Violent-beating-of-three-seniors-in-San-14826900.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">violently beaten and robbed\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even now, writing about these attacks leaves me with feelings that are hard to parse. On one hand, there’s the grief—the mourning for those who suffered and those who’ve passed, something we’ve faced over and over again this year. Then there’s the rage. And beyond that is a deep-rooted despair at the system that’s failed our most vulnerable, and how little we’ve done to stop it.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It doesn’t matter how many years have passed, or how well white elites say Asians have integrated into America’s cultural fabric. T\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">he sentiment that we do not belong in this country always returns in times of crisis or socioeconomic hardship.\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In spaces ruptured by extreme wealth inequality and displacement, it can be hard to find community. Sometimes, like in our current moment, it takes a moment of crisis to come together and build. Sasanna Yee, the granddaughter of Yik Oi Huang, felt similarly after what happened to her grandmother in 2019: “Four days after her attack, I hosted and organized a healing through solidarity and song event for the community, so that we don’t have to carry this pain in isolation,” she tells me. “There was a Black community leader named \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://lihanlh.medium.com/petition-seeks-to-rename-san-francisco-park-in-remembrance-of-grandma-huang-4b7dec6fa222\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ronald Colthirst\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and he was so moved by the compassionate and collaborative nature of my work that he suggested having the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.rememberyikoihuang.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">park renamed [to Yik Oi Huang Peace and Friendship Park]\u003c/span>\u003c/a>.\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">His idea sparked a movement. Since then, Sasanna has held many gatherings and activities, like yoga or sound meditation, to foster an environment of shared safety and healing in a space that’s been tainted with trauma. “Just a couple of weeks ago, two elderly [Chinese] women came up to me and said, ‘We walked the park with your grandmother for 20 years—it could have been any of us. We were devastated to hear about her loss,’” she recalled. “They were asking if there would be more gatherings, [since we met over Zoom during COVID] so that they could feel safe, like they could use the area in peace.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sasanna started the nonprofit \u003ca href=\"http://communitiesasone.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Communities as One\u003c/a> in January of 2020 to support these events and efforts to rename the park. Working in collaboration with a landscape architect, a community gardener and Colthirst, she hopes to add street lights and seating, as well as long-term programs that work towards building multigenerational and multicultural relationships. The focus group—which has been working since May 2020 to collect signatures and letters of support for the park renaming—is “very close” to submitting the proposal to the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Commission. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“That’s what I’ve learned through all this,” Sasanna said. “It’s such a blessing because if it weren’t for my grandmother, I would probably still be in isolation doing my own thing but because of [what happened], you really need community.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">U\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>ltimately, building community and investing in our neighborhoods are crucial elements of how Bay Area organizers work to create public safety. Oakland-based \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://apen4ej.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">), a member of the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/oakchinatowncoalition/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Oakland Chinatown Coalition\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and a leader in the current organizing movement, focuses on exactly that through their \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.chinatownimprovement.org/#chinatown-improvement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chinatown Ambassadors Program\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Founded in 2017, briefly \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/city-council-works-to-bring-back-oakland-chinatown-ambassadors-to-deter-violence/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20Chinatown%20Ambassador%20Program%20that,up%20litter%2C%20cleaning%20up%20graffiti.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">paused due to COVID in 2020\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and reinstated in 2021, the program centers neighborhood beautification, relationship-building with merchants and providing assistance for customers and residents. Originally designed as a partnership with the re-entry population, the program doesn’t depend on volunteering, which can be inconsistent. Instead, it offers formerly incarcerated folks job training opportunities—creating a sustainable, long-term framework for public safety that can also scale up through volunteers in moments we need rapid response.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I think for places like Chinatown, and I would also probably argue for Little Saigon as well, one thing to be said is ‘How does your physical environment allow you to feel safe and welcome?’” asked Alvina Wong, APEN’s campaign and organizing director. In addition to interacting with local merchants and visitors, Chinatown Ambassadors pick up trash and clear graffiti. They engage with unhoused people or those who seem lost. They file city complaints for issues like illegal dumping or cracked sidewalks. And they even put up decorations to celebrate Chinatown and breathe life into the space. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Similar to Sasanna’s work in Visitacion Valley, Wong feels that focusing on improving the neighborhood’s physical environment can help folks “feel a little bit more safe, to feel a little more investment that there are people looking out for you.” She continued: “Beautification isn’t just about cleaning—it’s also about using art and community to create space. Even in having space to do Tai Chi or fan dancing or play badminton—where do we actually get to infuse more of our culture? How do we allow for the environment and the space to feel alive and welcoming?”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">T\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>he concept of safety extends beyond public spaces—it’s related to economic and housing security, to educational opportunities and mental health support. It’s heavily grounded in our ability to simply \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">be\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, to exist without fear in a just and equitable society. In that sense, San Francisco’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://cpasf.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chinese Progressive Association \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">(CPA\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">) has been dedicated to Asian safety by advocating for tenants, workers and students in low-income immigrant and refugee communities for the last 50 years.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For Lai Wa Wu, the organization’s policy and alliance director, working towards these long-term solutions begins with understanding the issues facing Asian communities in San Francisco. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13896337\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13896337\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/PPE-distribution-w-volunteers-800x539.jpg\" alt=\"Volunteers with masks and gloves smile for a selfie.\" width=\"800\" height=\"539\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/PPE-distribution-w-volunteers-800x539.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/PPE-distribution-w-volunteers-1020x688.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/PPE-distribution-w-volunteers-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/PPE-distribution-w-volunteers-768x518.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/PPE-distribution-w-volunteers-1536x1035.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/PPE-distribution-w-volunteers-2048x1381.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/PPE-distribution-w-volunteers-1920x1294.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Volunteers with the Chinese Progressive Association distribute personal protective equipment in the community. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the Chinese Progressive Association)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Asians represent a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://newrepublic.com/article/146587/silicon-valleys-forgotten-minority\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">significant portion of young workers in tech\u003c/span>\u003c/a>, \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">so people often overlook the fact that Asians make up over \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.apicouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Press-Release_Budget_Disparity.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">42% of people living in poverty in San Francisco\u003c/span>\u003c/a>. That’s\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> even though we’re only 35% of the city’s overall population, according to a 2017 study.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“San Francisco’s Chinatown in particular has the highest concentration of [Asian] family members who live in single-room-occupancy hotels—basically a room with grandmas, grandpas, parents, children all under one roof,” Wu said. “CPA and other allied organizations are really trying to do the work to create a different story for our working class communities—not just to survive in moments of crisis, but also to truly honor and understand the working class experience from a place of pride. And to be able to connect all of us, especially working class immigrant communities, to their fullest power and fullest human development.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In 2019, in the wake of the attacks on Yik Oi Huang and other Asian elders in San Francisco, CPA joined with three other organizations to form the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://cpasf.org/updates/san-franciscos-community-coalition-for-safety-and-justice-responds-to-gun-violence-massacre-in-atlanta/#:~:text=The%20Coalition%20for%20Community%20Safety%20and%20Justice%20(CCCJ)%2C%20comprises,our%20city's%20capacity%20to%20create\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Coalition for Community Safety and Justice\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in an effort to create comprehensive services for victims and coordinate long-term solutions around accountability. Their approach is three-pronged: expand victim services (street outreach, escort programs, mental health, legal support), create a city-wide network between community organizations and city agencies, and organize spaces for cross-racial healing and dialogue. According to Wu, the coalition received city funding in June 2020, but “to this day, it’s not fully annualized in the budget.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And it’s certainly not the first time CPA has struggled to find meaningful, consistent funding. Wu also noted that CPA has worked for over 10 years to create these long-term frameworks for Asian safety. But finding the space and funding outside of moments of crisis posed an unsurprising challenge. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wu recalled that 10 years ago, “People were naming the same concerns we’re naming today: No centralized city response, particularly to Asian crime survivors and their families. Not enough in-language outreach,” she said. “When the budget cycle came and the funds when the funds eventually left, leaders within these organizations still attempted to fill in these critical service gaps. But we can only fill these gaps for so long without sustainable resources.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now, at a moment where the need for Asian safety is more noticeable than ever, the need for community and cross-racial healing could not be clearer. From rapid response programs to long-term investments like Sasanna’s park rejuvenation, it’s undeniably time for us to come together and build this new future.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“From a really microscopic level to a large macro level, if we don’t have relationships with each other, if we don’t trust each other, we’re never really gonna be safe,” Alvina Wong of APEN shared. “I think with all the displacement and gentrification we’ve been facing in the Bay, you have communities that have been able to build with each other now being separated and pitted against each other.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wu echoed that statement: “The third piece of our strategy is often the most challenging but deepest kind of work, which is kind of cross-racial healing and community building, so that we can address the roots behind some of the racial tensions and begin to engage in dialogue that humanizes each other instead of scapegoating each other.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In a moment of such intense frustration, exhaustion and sadness, I hope our community can finally begin investing long-term in the safety of our people. I hope we feel it fully: The rage of our ancestors begging for justice, the pain of their suffering, the grief for all of those we’ve lost. And, finally, I hope we can come together to transform those feelings into change. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sasanna put it best. “You know, there’s a lot of unlearning to do. And this is an opportunity for us to get real, be authentic with our emotions, with our position in life,” she said. “And then to reach out for help and be in community—to reciprocate in community.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Ways to Get Involved\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Support Sasanna Yee’s park renaming by purchasing an \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"http://www.asians-belong.myshopify.com/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Asians Belong T-shirt\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>,\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> a project founded in the wake of her grandmother’s attack. Details \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.rememberyikoihuang.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">here\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Donate to APEN and Asian Health Services’ \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.classy.org/give/326018/#!/donation/checkout\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Victim Support Fund\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which directly provides financial resources for Asian victims of violence and the Chinatown Ambassadors Program. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Donate to the \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://cpasf.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=7\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chinese Progressive Association\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Correction: \u003c/strong>APEN’s Chinatown Ambassadors Program was launched in 2017, not 2019 as previously stated in this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "For a Young Girl in the Bay Area, DMX Made Sense of Life's Emotional Complexities",
"headTitle": "For a Young Girl in the Bay Area, DMX Made Sense of Life’s Emotional Complexities | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>When I was twelve years old, I’d ride BART each week to \u003ca href=\"https://mccatheater.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Alice Arts Center\u003c/a> in Oakland to attend hip-hop dance class. There, one of the first dance routines I learned was set to DMX’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThlhSnRk21E\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Ruff Ryders Anthem\u003c/a>.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Can you imagine a room full of pre-teen Black girls, giving their heart and soul to movement, while DMX’s voice rings out with passion over Swizz Beatz’s siren-like production? To this day, it’s one of the most exhilarating dance performances I’ve ever done. We didn’t really know what the song was about, but we felt the urgency in DMX’s voice, and it made us feel alive. Like we could dance forever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13895484']This was around 1998. I was in junior high school. I was confused and curious about life, often lonely, and unsure of who or what I wanted to be. Music, books, poetry, and dancing spoke to me in ways that I didn’t quite understand. They just made me feel alive. DMX’s music was playing at the first house party I attended in Hayward, as my female friends grinded against boys, sweat slipped off arms, and daisy duke shorts and jersey tops clung to bodies. “Party Up” blasted from the speakers and we \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thIVtEOtlWM\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">lost our minds\u003c/a>, literally, on the dance floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In junior high and high school, we were all trying to make sense of new feelings, new changes in our bodies, and DMX’s music was a welcome exploration of the warring sides of humanity—the striving for a better way, the fun fearlessness, the demons that haunt our movement, and the pain that \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arJy3T65l6A\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">propels us to flight\u003c/a>. Surely, at our young ages, we hadn’t experienced the extreme highs and lows that DMX did, but we were pulled into his honest, emotional delivery, and felt it deeply. At a time when I was coming into my own understanding of being an artist, to be a witness to his artistry was a gift. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AognXgM9FQ\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DMX gave us vivid stories about lives we didn’t live, and became the rapper we all had a crush on. I remember listening to “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NvVyjHUwaU\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">How’s It Goin Down\u003c/a>” as a teenager and being swept into a world of lost love. This song unfolded like a movie to me, right down to the specific description: “Coming through, like I do, you know, getting my bark on / Knew she was a thug ‘cause when I met her she had a scarf on / 54-11, size 7 in girls / Babyface, would look like she was 11 with curls / Girlfriend (what!) remember me, from way back, I’m the same cat / With the wave cap, the motherfucker that TNT used to blaze at.” I was \u003cem>sad\u003c/em> that DMX and this woman couldn’t be together. Faith Evans’ soft vocals during the chorus made this sense of yearning palpable and real. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Through his music, DMX made it okay to own our emotions, to wrestle with them, to feel, and to heal, openly, without fear of shame or judgement. He was vulnerable in a way that we were taught not to be, and that’s where he connected with so many. I saw my black and brown classmates fighting to hold back tears after being clowned and dissed, after losing or winning physical fights, or coming to school after traumatic home experiences in pain, only to feign happiness, to smile as if things were okay. Black boys were encouraged to adopt a tough masculine persona that erased the texture of their emotions, and the toxicity of that kind of existence only damaged their lives further, as they adopted troubling patterns of exerting dominance over others in unhealthy ways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ww-TQUeA3E\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But something in DMX’s music—in his own admissions of pain, trauma, flaws, and joy; in the way he played with pitch and tone in his vocal delivery, the way his voice could go from a low rasp to a heightened hymn; in the way he could carry a whole song—gave us another way to see the complexities and contradictions of life. On “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ww-TQUeA3E\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Slippin’\u003c/a>,” when he rapped “Damn, was it my fault, somethin’ I did / To make a father leave his first kid at 7 doin’ my first bid?,” I felt the pain of his abandonment, but also a sense of unyielding hope.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DMX often \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/25/arts/music/the-rapper-dmx-performs-at-sobs.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">prayed onstage\u003c/a>, and when he cried onstage during a prayer, it radiated strength and a kind of transparent, elevated spirituality that most hadn’t achieved yet. He was not interested in hiding, or showing only parts of himself. He was a whole, complete person and artist and this is how we remember him. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DMX expanded the emotional depth of his art form. As artists, may we all strive to do the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nijla Mu’min is an award-winning writer and filmmaker raised in Oakland. Her feature film ‘Jinn’ premiered in 2018, and she has since directed episodes of ‘Insecure’ and ‘Queen Sugar’ for television. Learn more \u003ca href=\"https://www.nijlamumin.com/about\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When I was twelve years old, I’d ride BART each week to \u003ca href=\"https://mccatheater.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Alice Arts Center\u003c/a> in Oakland to attend hip-hop dance class. There, one of the first dance routines I learned was set to DMX’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThlhSnRk21E\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Ruff Ryders Anthem\u003c/a>.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Can you imagine a room full of pre-teen Black girls, giving their heart and soul to movement, while DMX’s voice rings out with passion over Swizz Beatz’s siren-like production? To this day, it’s one of the most exhilarating dance performances I’ve ever done. We didn’t really know what the song was about, but we felt the urgency in DMX’s voice, and it made us feel alive. Like we could dance forever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>This was around 1998. I was in junior high school. I was confused and curious about life, often lonely, and unsure of who or what I wanted to be. Music, books, poetry, and dancing spoke to me in ways that I didn’t quite understand. They just made me feel alive. DMX’s music was playing at the first house party I attended in Hayward, as my female friends grinded against boys, sweat slipped off arms, and daisy duke shorts and jersey tops clung to bodies. “Party Up” blasted from the speakers and we \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thIVtEOtlWM\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">lost our minds\u003c/a>, literally, on the dance floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In junior high and high school, we were all trying to make sense of new feelings, new changes in our bodies, and DMX’s music was a welcome exploration of the warring sides of humanity—the striving for a better way, the fun fearlessness, the demons that haunt our movement, and the pain that \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arJy3T65l6A\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">propels us to flight\u003c/a>. Surely, at our young ages, we hadn’t experienced the extreme highs and lows that DMX did, but we were pulled into his honest, emotional delivery, and felt it deeply. At a time when I was coming into my own understanding of being an artist, to be a witness to his artistry was a gift. \u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/4AognXgM9FQ'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/4AognXgM9FQ'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DMX gave us vivid stories about lives we didn’t live, and became the rapper we all had a crush on. I remember listening to “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NvVyjHUwaU\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">How’s It Goin Down\u003c/a>” as a teenager and being swept into a world of lost love. This song unfolded like a movie to me, right down to the specific description: “Coming through, like I do, you know, getting my bark on / Knew she was a thug ‘cause when I met her she had a scarf on / 54-11, size 7 in girls / Babyface, would look like she was 11 with curls / Girlfriend (what!) remember me, from way back, I’m the same cat / With the wave cap, the motherfucker that TNT used to blaze at.” I was \u003cem>sad\u003c/em> that DMX and this woman couldn’t be together. Faith Evans’ soft vocals during the chorus made this sense of yearning palpable and real. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Through his music, DMX made it okay to own our emotions, to wrestle with them, to feel, and to heal, openly, without fear of shame or judgement. He was vulnerable in a way that we were taught not to be, and that’s where he connected with so many. I saw my black and brown classmates fighting to hold back tears after being clowned and dissed, after losing or winning physical fights, or coming to school after traumatic home experiences in pain, only to feign happiness, to smile as if things were okay. Black boys were encouraged to adopt a tough masculine persona that erased the texture of their emotions, and the toxicity of that kind of existence only damaged their lives further, as they adopted troubling patterns of exerting dominance over others in unhealthy ways.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/9Ww-TQUeA3E'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/9Ww-TQUeA3E'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>But something in DMX’s music—in his own admissions of pain, trauma, flaws, and joy; in the way he played with pitch and tone in his vocal delivery, the way his voice could go from a low rasp to a heightened hymn; in the way he could carry a whole song—gave us another way to see the complexities and contradictions of life. On “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ww-TQUeA3E\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Slippin’\u003c/a>,” when he rapped “Damn, was it my fault, somethin’ I did / To make a father leave his first kid at 7 doin’ my first bid?,” I felt the pain of his abandonment, but also a sense of unyielding hope.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DMX often \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/25/arts/music/the-rapper-dmx-performs-at-sobs.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">prayed onstage\u003c/a>, and when he cried onstage during a prayer, it radiated strength and a kind of transparent, elevated spirituality that most hadn’t achieved yet. He was not interested in hiding, or showing only parts of himself. He was a whole, complete person and artist and this is how we remember him. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DMX expanded the emotional depth of his art form. As artists, may we all strive to do the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nijla Mu’min is an award-winning writer and filmmaker raised in Oakland. Her feature film ‘Jinn’ premiered in 2018, and she has since directed episodes of ‘Insecure’ and ‘Queen Sugar’ for television. Learn more \u003ca href=\"https://www.nijlamumin.com/about\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "TikTok's Sienna Mae Gomez is Trapped in a Body Positivity Movement That Loves Almost No One",
"headTitle": "TikTok’s Sienna Mae Gomez is Trapped in a Body Positivity Movement That Loves Almost No One | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@siennamae\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sienna Mae Gomez\u003c/a> is a confident, fun-loving 17-year-old girl who has, in the space of a single year, amassed 15 million followers on TikTok. Gomez’s videos—which show her dancing, goofing around, and generally living her best life—inspired a profile earlier this year in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nylon.com/beauty/sienna-mae-gomez-on-viral-tiktok-fame-body-positivity-and-her-first-big-beauty-deal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Nylon\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, which described her as “a cool girl confidently show[ing] off her regular body,” and praised for her “positive body image.” That description was born from the fact that Gomez regularly \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@siennamae/video/6938861360998599942?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">preaches “self-love,”\u003c/a> enthusiastically \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@siennamae/video/6934189925612981510?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">eats food on camera\u003c/a>, and dances in bikinis unselfconsciously.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" style=\"max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px\" cite=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@siennamae/video/6942616617280883974\" data-video-id=\"6942616617280883974\">\n\u003csection>\u003ca title=\"@siennamae\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@siennamae\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@siennamae\u003c/a>quarantine 2020 vibes\u003ca title=\"♬ lady gaga saying that ppl can do hard things - umru\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/lady-gaga-saying-that-ppl-can-do-hard-things-6926901814931606277\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">♬ lady gaga saying that ppl can do hard things – umru\u003c/a>\u003c/section>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>[tiktok]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, Gomez posted a clip titled “bloating.” In it, she side-profiled her concave stomach expanding to a merely flat one after apparently eating five tacos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" style=\"max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px\" cite=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@siennamae/video/6947461951664540934\" data-video-id=\"6947461951664540934\">\n\u003csection>\u003ca title=\"@siennamae\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@siennamae\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@siennamae\u003c/a>bloating😁😁\u003ca title=\"♬ Exclamation mark - Soul\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/Exclamation-mark-6940429731603041030\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">♬ Exclamation mark – Soul\u003c/a>\u003c/section>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>[tiktok]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The criticism from fans about the clip prompted her to make \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@siennamae/video/6947490119070797062?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">another video\u003c/a> almost immediately. In it, she captioned a message from a TikTok user who told Gomez that, despite her oft-repeated body positive stance, her slender physique just made bigger girls watching “feel worse.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I never claimed to be the face of body positivity,” Gomez says in the clip. “I never claimed to be in a specific group or representing a specific group of people. My account has always been, and will always be, purely just me feeling confident and hoping that that can inspire others … I’ve always put the message out there that any body type is beautiful. There is no right body.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gomez’s latest body positivity controversy emerges less than two months after she came under fire for launching a merch line sporting the phrase “Did you eat today?” Many critics saw it as an attempt to profit from other people’s eating disorders; \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/defnoodles/status/1360745257151782914/photo/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gomez asserted\u003c/a> that she was trying to express “compassion and care for people who are struggling.” [aside postid='pop_84826']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gomez certainly has a healthier attitude toward food and self-love than a great many other TikTok personalities. And her age is undoubtedly a factor in some of the issues she’s experiencing with her personal brand. But Gomez has also been benefiting—through no fault of her own—from a mainstream culture that has, for years, co-opted the ideas of “body positivity” without actually celebrating fat bodies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Examples, unrelated to either Gomez or TikTok, are not hard to come by.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2016, \u003cem>Glamour\u003c/em> magazine added Amy Schumer to the cover of its plus size issue, despite the fact that she was a size 6-8 at the time. (It was left to \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/BD0sVf9KUCy/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Schumer herself to point out on Instagram\u003c/a> that presenting her body as plus size was damaging to young women.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2018, Everlane prominently used an \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Everlane/status/1079791787424665600/photo/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">extra-curvy model\u003c/a> named Chloé Vero in the ad campaign for its underwear launch—only to cap the largest size at XL. (That particular underwear came with a 32-inch waist.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2017, \u003cem>Vogue\u003c/em> hyped up the fact that Ashley Graham would be the first plus size model to grace its cover, only to hide her body in a line of \u003cem>Vogue\u003c/em>‘s regular models. (“NO NORM IS THE NEW NORM,” the cover lied.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13895242 aligncenter\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/screen-shot-2017-02-09-at-9-50-24-am-1486654943.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"599\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/screen-shot-2017-02-09-at-9-50-24-am-1486654943.png 480w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/screen-shot-2017-02-09-at-9-50-24-am-1486654943-160x200.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In January, \u003cem>E!\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Glamour\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Yahoo\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Seventeen\u003c/em>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-body/news/khloe-kardashian-shows-off-stretch-marks-in-bikini-photo/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>US Weekly\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and a variety of other outlets all carried stories about the fact that Khloe Kardashian had “proudly” shown off her stretch marks in an Instagram post. The headlines suggested this was a relatable moment, an occasion to celebrate women’s imperfections. \u003cem>US Weekly\u003c/em> began its article on the subject with the words: “The real her.” Despite all that hype, Kardashian’s image bore little resemblance to anything most women could relate to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.instagram.com/p/CKrfAC7BSLg/\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coincidentally, just as Sienna Mae Gomez was reckoning with her place in the skewed world of mainstream body positivity, Lena Dunham was \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/05/style/lena-dunham-body-positivity-11-honore-spanx.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">breaking down the movement for the \u003cem>New York Times\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. In an interview to promote her new plus size collaboration with 11 Honoré over the weekend, Dunham described the narrow parameters of the bodies deemed appropriate for mainstream celebration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She told the newspaper:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The thing that’s complicated about the body positive movement, is it can be for the privileged few who have a body that looks the way people want to feel positive. We want curvy bodies that look like Kim Kardashian has been up-sized slightly. We want big beautiful butts and big beautiful breasts and no cellulite and faces that look like you could smack them on to thin women.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>A quick glance at \u003cem>Cosmopolitan\u003c/em>‘s 2021 list of “\u003ca href=\"https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/fashion/a49364/curvy-plus-size-model-instagram/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Best Plus Size Models and Accounts to Follow\u003c/a>” perfectly illustrates Dunham’s point. While, unlike Gomez, the women featured \u003cem>are\u003c/em> size 12 or over, they almost exclusively fit the very specific type that Dunham describes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The list includes \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzg4bf9gkq7/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ashley Graham\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CMctG1hsZqu/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sonny Turner\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CFadljPJweI/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jada Sezer\u003c/a>. (Thankfully, it also includes \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CJAEkEin3SI/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tess Holiday\u003c/a>, a glaring exception to the rule.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzg4bf9gkq7/\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, in more niche, fat positive circles on the internet, you will find rounder bellies, less symmetrical waistlines and a much broader idea of what it means to be big and beautiful. But the struggle to get America on board with actual, real-life, plus size bodies has been ongoing for years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While filming \u003cem>Girls\u003c/em>—a show in which she often appeared naked and unposed—Dunham was bombarded with criticism about her body, and told by countless internet trolls to cover up. As such, she has given a lot of thought as to why the world is more comfortable hearing about body positivity from women with smaller bodies than hers. [aside postid='arts_13880699']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have a big stomach, I always have,” she \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/05/style/lena-dunham-body-positivity-11-honore-spanx.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">told\u003c/a> the \u003cem>New York Times\u003c/em>. “That’s where I gain my weight … and that’s not where anybody wants to see flesh … The amount of people who have written to me on my page: ‘You’re promoting obesity. Don’t you understand you’re killing yourself? Are you stupid? Why are you doing that?'” She continued: “If a thin girl wears sweatpants, it’s kind of cute—like, ‘I’m having a rough day!’ But for a chubby girl, it’s ‘You’ve made a lifestyle choice to give up.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Truthfully, Gomez and Dunham represent two sides of the same coin. Both became famous as very young women. Both arrived in the public consciousness with specific sets of privilege (Gomez’s is physical; Dunham’s financial) that leave them exposed to criticism.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the difference in how Dunham and Gomez have been received is rooted firmly in the thing they’re both trying to stamp out. The fact that both are struggling to such a great degree to get their message across isn’t an indictment of either of them, really. It’s the reflection of a culture that ceaselessly continues to judge women based on the shapes and sizes of their bodies.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "The same weekend the TikTok star came under fire for her thin privilege, Lena Dunham explained why she didn't fit either. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@siennamae\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sienna Mae Gomez\u003c/a> is a confident, fun-loving 17-year-old girl who has, in the space of a single year, amassed 15 million followers on TikTok. Gomez’s videos—which show her dancing, goofing around, and generally living her best life—inspired a profile earlier this year in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nylon.com/beauty/sienna-mae-gomez-on-viral-tiktok-fame-body-positivity-and-her-first-big-beauty-deal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Nylon\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, which described her as “a cool girl confidently show[ing] off her regular body,” and praised for her “positive body image.” That description was born from the fact that Gomez regularly \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@siennamae/video/6938861360998599942?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">preaches “self-love,”\u003c/a> enthusiastically \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@siennamae/video/6934189925612981510?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">eats food on camera\u003c/a>, and dances in bikinis unselfconsciously.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" style=\"max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px\" cite=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@siennamae/video/6942616617280883974\" data-video-id=\"6942616617280883974\">\n\u003csection>\u003ca title=\"@siennamae\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@siennamae\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@siennamae\u003c/a>quarantine 2020 vibes\u003ca title=\"♬ lady gaga saying that ppl can do hard things - umru\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/lady-gaga-saying-that-ppl-can-do-hard-things-6926901814931606277\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">♬ lady gaga saying that ppl can do hard things – umru\u003c/a>\u003c/section>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, Gomez posted a clip titled “bloating.” In it, she side-profiled her concave stomach expanding to a merely flat one after apparently eating five tacos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" style=\"max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px\" cite=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@siennamae/video/6947461951664540934\" data-video-id=\"6947461951664540934\">\n\u003csection>\u003ca title=\"@siennamae\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@siennamae\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@siennamae\u003c/a>bloating😁😁\u003ca title=\"♬ Exclamation mark - Soul\" href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/music/Exclamation-mark-6940429731603041030\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">♬ Exclamation mark – Soul\u003c/a>\u003c/section>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The criticism from fans about the clip prompted her to make \u003ca href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@siennamae/video/6947490119070797062?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">another video\u003c/a> almost immediately. In it, she captioned a message from a TikTok user who told Gomez that, despite her oft-repeated body positive stance, her slender physique just made bigger girls watching “feel worse.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I never claimed to be the face of body positivity,” Gomez says in the clip. “I never claimed to be in a specific group or representing a specific group of people. My account has always been, and will always be, purely just me feeling confident and hoping that that can inspire others … I’ve always put the message out there that any body type is beautiful. There is no right body.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gomez’s latest body positivity controversy emerges less than two months after she came under fire for launching a merch line sporting the phrase “Did you eat today?” Many critics saw it as an attempt to profit from other people’s eating disorders; \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/defnoodles/status/1360745257151782914/photo/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gomez asserted\u003c/a> that she was trying to express “compassion and care for people who are struggling.” \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gomez certainly has a healthier attitude toward food and self-love than a great many other TikTok personalities. And her age is undoubtedly a factor in some of the issues she’s experiencing with her personal brand. But Gomez has also been benefiting—through no fault of her own—from a mainstream culture that has, for years, co-opted the ideas of “body positivity” without actually celebrating fat bodies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Examples, unrelated to either Gomez or TikTok, are not hard to come by.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2016, \u003cem>Glamour\u003c/em> magazine added Amy Schumer to the cover of its plus size issue, despite the fact that she was a size 6-8 at the time. (It was left to \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/BD0sVf9KUCy/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Schumer herself to point out on Instagram\u003c/a> that presenting her body as plus size was damaging to young women.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2018, Everlane prominently used an \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Everlane/status/1079791787424665600/photo/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">extra-curvy model\u003c/a> named Chloé Vero in the ad campaign for its underwear launch—only to cap the largest size at XL. (That particular underwear came with a 32-inch waist.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2017, \u003cem>Vogue\u003c/em> hyped up the fact that Ashley Graham would be the first plus size model to grace its cover, only to hide her body in a line of \u003cem>Vogue\u003c/em>‘s regular models. (“NO NORM IS THE NEW NORM,” the cover lied.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13895242 aligncenter\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/screen-shot-2017-02-09-at-9-50-24-am-1486654943.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"599\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/screen-shot-2017-02-09-at-9-50-24-am-1486654943.png 480w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/screen-shot-2017-02-09-at-9-50-24-am-1486654943-160x200.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In January, \u003cem>E!\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Glamour\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Yahoo\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Seventeen\u003c/em>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-body/news/khloe-kardashian-shows-off-stretch-marks-in-bikini-photo/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>US Weekly\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and a variety of other outlets all carried stories about the fact that Khloe Kardashian had “proudly” shown off her stretch marks in an Instagram post. The headlines suggested this was a relatable moment, an occasion to celebrate women’s imperfections. \u003cem>US Weekly\u003c/em> began its article on the subject with the words: “The real her.” Despite all that hype, Kardashian’s image bore little resemblance to anything most women could relate to.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Coincidentally, just as Sienna Mae Gomez was reckoning with her place in the skewed world of mainstream body positivity, Lena Dunham was \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/05/style/lena-dunham-body-positivity-11-honore-spanx.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">breaking down the movement for the \u003cem>New York Times\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. In an interview to promote her new plus size collaboration with 11 Honoré over the weekend, Dunham described the narrow parameters of the bodies deemed appropriate for mainstream celebration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She told the newspaper:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The thing that’s complicated about the body positive movement, is it can be for the privileged few who have a body that looks the way people want to feel positive. We want curvy bodies that look like Kim Kardashian has been up-sized slightly. We want big beautiful butts and big beautiful breasts and no cellulite and faces that look like you could smack them on to thin women.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>A quick glance at \u003cem>Cosmopolitan\u003c/em>‘s 2021 list of “\u003ca href=\"https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/fashion/a49364/curvy-plus-size-model-instagram/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Best Plus Size Models and Accounts to Follow\u003c/a>” perfectly illustrates Dunham’s point. While, unlike Gomez, the women featured \u003cem>are\u003c/em> size 12 or over, they almost exclusively fit the very specific type that Dunham describes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The list includes \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzg4bf9gkq7/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ashley Graham\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CMctG1hsZqu/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sonny Turner\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CFadljPJweI/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jada Sezer\u003c/a>. (Thankfully, it also includes \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CJAEkEin3SI/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tess Holiday\u003c/a>, a glaring exception to the rule.)\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Of course, in more niche, fat positive circles on the internet, you will find rounder bellies, less symmetrical waistlines and a much broader idea of what it means to be big and beautiful. But the struggle to get America on board with actual, real-life, plus size bodies has been ongoing for years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While filming \u003cem>Girls\u003c/em>—a show in which she often appeared naked and unposed—Dunham was bombarded with criticism about her body, and told by countless internet trolls to cover up. As such, she has given a lot of thought as to why the world is more comfortable hearing about body positivity from women with smaller bodies than hers. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have a big stomach, I always have,” she \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/05/style/lena-dunham-body-positivity-11-honore-spanx.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">told\u003c/a> the \u003cem>New York Times\u003c/em>. “That’s where I gain my weight … and that’s not where anybody wants to see flesh … The amount of people who have written to me on my page: ‘You’re promoting obesity. Don’t you understand you’re killing yourself? Are you stupid? Why are you doing that?'” She continued: “If a thin girl wears sweatpants, it’s kind of cute—like, ‘I’m having a rough day!’ But for a chubby girl, it’s ‘You’ve made a lifestyle choice to give up.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Truthfully, Gomez and Dunham represent two sides of the same coin. Both became famous as very young women. Both arrived in the public consciousness with specific sets of privilege (Gomez’s is physical; Dunham’s financial) that leave them exposed to criticism.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the difference in how Dunham and Gomez have been received is rooted firmly in the thing they’re both trying to stamp out. The fact that both are struggling to such a great degree to get their message across isn’t an indictment of either of them, really. It’s the reflection of a culture that ceaselessly continues to judge women based on the shapes and sizes of their bodies.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "JD Salinger’s Pursuit of Teen Girls Gets Renewed Attention After ‘Allen v. Farrow’",
"headTitle": "JD Salinger’s Pursuit of Teen Girls Gets Renewed Attention After ‘Allen v. Farrow’ | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Yesterday, \u003cem>Vanity Fair\u003c/em> published \u003ca href=\"https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/04/joyce-maynard-on-chilling-parallels-woody-allen-and-jd-salinger\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a compelling essay\u003c/a> by prolific author \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyce_Maynard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joyce Maynard\u003c/a>. In it, she drew a parallel between Woody Allen and J.D. Salinger, saying both men harbored obsessions with very young women. Maynard was inspired to write the piece after watching recent HBO documentary series, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13892800/allen-v-farrow-is-the-most-damning-indictment-of-woody-allen-yet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Allen v. Farrow\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. But her motivation was born from the fact that, when she was a teenager, she had a relationship with the then-53-year-old Salinger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maynard wrote:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>A few months past my 18th birthday, J.D. Salinger wrote me a series of letters that led me to believe he loved me as no one else ever had … He told me I was brilliant and perfect, his soul mate and that we would live our days out together … I withdrew from college … walked away from a full scholarship at Yale, a writing job in New York City, the book tour for my first published work … He sent me away less than a year later with words of contempt and disdain … [It] left me in a state of profound shame that endured for decades.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Like so many Woody Allen fans who felt awakened by \u003cem>Allen v. Farrow\u003c/em>, I saw Salinger in a completely new light after reading Maynard’s essay. Until yesterday, I had been entirely in the dark about his life-long pursuit of, and dalliances with, teen girls. Which is incredibly embarrassing to admit, particularly as someone who has read “For Esmé—With Love and Squalor”—a story in which an army sergeant obsesses over a young teenage girl.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maynard continues:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Over the years that followed, I heard from well over a dozen women who had a similar set of treasured letters from Salinger in their possession, written to them when they were teenagers. It appeared that in the case of one girl, Salinger was writing letters to her while I sat in the next room believing he was my soul mate and partner for life.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>After reading Maynard’s\u003cem> Vanity Fair\u003c/em> article—titled, incidentally, “‘Predatory Men With a Taste for Teenagers’ Joyce Maynard on the Chilling Parallels Between Woody Allen and J.D. Salinger”—the proverbial floodgates opened. I realized that information about Salinger’s predilections had been in plain sight for years, and not hiding even a little.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A quick internet search revealed to me that \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/sep/06/jd-salinger-teenage-lover-challenges-her-predator-reputation-joyce-maynard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>the Guardian\u003c/em> had written\u003c/a> about Maynard and Salinger’s destructive relationship in 2018. Maynard had also \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/15/opinion/sunday/was-salinger-too-pure-for-this-world.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">written about it\u003c/a> in \u003cem>The New York Times\u003c/em> in 2013. \u003ca href=\"https://www.salon.com/2010/02/09/jd_salinger_and_the_women/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Salon\u003c/em> wrote about it\u003c/a> in 2010, right after Salinger died. As did a pre-fame Lena Dunham, on Twitter!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/lenadunham/status/8336385963\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, Maynard has been talking about the emotional and mental damage wrought by J.D. Salinger’s pursuit of her since she first revealed details of the affair in her 1998 memoir, \u003cem>At Home in the World\u003c/em>. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.huffpost.com/entry/emat-home-in-the-worldem_b_441253\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2010 review\u003c/a>, \u003cem>Huffington Post\u003c/em> relayed that the J.D. Salinger described in Maynard’s book was, “pompous, astoundingly unfeeling, deceptive and defiantly hypocritical.” [aside postid='arts_13892800']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The memoir also details abusive and coercive behavior by Salinger, including restricting Maynard’s diet to such a degree that her periods stopped. And while \u003cem>At Home in the World\u003c/em> reveals that their relationship was never fully consummated—because Maynard was too fearful of losing her virginity—there is at least one description of her orally servicing Salinger while openly weeping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before the book had even come out, a 1998 \u003ca href=\"https://nymag.com/nymetro/arts/features/2162/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>New York\u003c/em> magazine article\u003c/a> detailed Salinger’s habit, at the age of 34, of “entertaining teenagers who attended the local high school. In particular, he often escorted teenage girls to school dances and sporting events.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve never been in the habit of researching the spouses of writers, but Salinger’s relationship history—now that I actively look for it—is one giant alarm bell. When he was 30, Salinger met and formed an attachment to 14-year-old Jean Miller. The two exchanged letters throughout her teens, apparently despite the objections of her mother. When she finally slept with him, at the age of 20, he immediately ditched her. When he was 36, he married 21-year-old Claire Douglas. When he was 69, he married 21-year-old Colleen O’Neill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So why didn’t I hear about all this sooner? Perhaps if I was active in literary circles, I would have known this whole time. Perhaps selective deafness was somehow at play because I spent so many of my teen years enthralled by Salinger’s work. Perhaps, after he died, I was too busy reading romantic eulogies about his brilliant, reclusive self to hear anything that his critics were saying about him. [aside postid='arts_13894392']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After \u003cem>At Home in the World\u003c/em> came out, Maynard was roundly criticized by both Salinger fans and the press at large for the details she shared about him. (In fact, she battled the same vitriolic public disdain that Mia Farrow had endured just six years earlier, during her divorce from Woody Allen.) In her \u003cem>Vanity Fair\u003c/em> essay, Maynard recalls being called a “\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/19/opinion/liberties-leech-women-in-love.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">predator\u003c/a>” in \u003cem>The \u003c/em>\u003cem>New York Times \u003c/em>and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1998/08/24/avert-your-eyes-but-read-this-first/a83298f7-c63d-49e3-94d5-be60a479daa6/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">indescribably stupid\u003c/a>” in \u003cem>The\u003c/em> \u003cem>Washington Post. \u003c/em>By the time Maynard sold her letters from Salinger in a Sotheby’s auction for $156,000, even \u003cem>Entertainment Weekly\u003c/em> was calling her “\u003ca href=\"https://ew.com/article/1999/06/25/joyce-maynard-sells-jd-salingers-letters-156000/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a self-absorbed blab-it-all\u003c/a>.” Perhaps it was criticisms like these that formed a firm barrier between me and the truth about the J.D. Salinger. Or maybe I just looked the other way because I didn’t want to hear it. Frankly, I don’t even know at this point.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, I wrote about the cruelty of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13894392/hbos-tina-raises-questions-about-how-we-treat-famous-survivors-of-abuse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">making Tina Turner repeat\u003c/a> the details of her abuse over and over again for the sake of public education (and entertainment). But if Maynard hadn’t repeated herself over and over \u003cem>and over\u003c/em> again for the last 23 years—if she hadn’t continued being the much scoffed at “blab-it-all”—I, and other readers, likely would never have heard her at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It takes an enormous amount of strength and will for anyone to share details of their own abuse. But when those details concern a person who is more famous and more beloved and more respected than you, then the uphill battle requires an unbelievable reserve of tenacity. Maynard should not have had to spend literal decades battling to be heard over all that other noise. No survivor should. But I for one am grateful that she did. Shamefully, it took this long for her to get through to me.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Joyce Maynard has been sharing her abuse story on a regular basis since 1998. So why are some of us only just hearing about it?",
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"description": "Joyce Maynard has been sharing her abuse story on a regular basis since 1998. So why are some of us only just hearing about it?",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Yesterday, \u003cem>Vanity Fair\u003c/em> published \u003ca href=\"https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/04/joyce-maynard-on-chilling-parallels-woody-allen-and-jd-salinger\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a compelling essay\u003c/a> by prolific author \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyce_Maynard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joyce Maynard\u003c/a>. In it, she drew a parallel between Woody Allen and J.D. Salinger, saying both men harbored obsessions with very young women. Maynard was inspired to write the piece after watching recent HBO documentary series, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13892800/allen-v-farrow-is-the-most-damning-indictment-of-woody-allen-yet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Allen v. Farrow\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. But her motivation was born from the fact that, when she was a teenager, she had a relationship with the then-53-year-old Salinger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maynard wrote:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>A few months past my 18th birthday, J.D. Salinger wrote me a series of letters that led me to believe he loved me as no one else ever had … He told me I was brilliant and perfect, his soul mate and that we would live our days out together … I withdrew from college … walked away from a full scholarship at Yale, a writing job in New York City, the book tour for my first published work … He sent me away less than a year later with words of contempt and disdain … [It] left me in a state of profound shame that endured for decades.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Like so many Woody Allen fans who felt awakened by \u003cem>Allen v. Farrow\u003c/em>, I saw Salinger in a completely new light after reading Maynard’s essay. Until yesterday, I had been entirely in the dark about his life-long pursuit of, and dalliances with, teen girls. Which is incredibly embarrassing to admit, particularly as someone who has read “For Esmé—With Love and Squalor”—a story in which an army sergeant obsesses over a young teenage girl.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maynard continues:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Over the years that followed, I heard from well over a dozen women who had a similar set of treasured letters from Salinger in their possession, written to them when they were teenagers. It appeared that in the case of one girl, Salinger was writing letters to her while I sat in the next room believing he was my soul mate and partner for life.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>After reading Maynard’s\u003cem> Vanity Fair\u003c/em> article—titled, incidentally, “‘Predatory Men With a Taste for Teenagers’ Joyce Maynard on the Chilling Parallels Between Woody Allen and J.D. Salinger”—the proverbial floodgates opened. I realized that information about Salinger’s predilections had been in plain sight for years, and not hiding even a little.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A quick internet search revealed to me that \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/sep/06/jd-salinger-teenage-lover-challenges-her-predator-reputation-joyce-maynard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>the Guardian\u003c/em> had written\u003c/a> about Maynard and Salinger’s destructive relationship in 2018. Maynard had also \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/15/opinion/sunday/was-salinger-too-pure-for-this-world.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">written about it\u003c/a> in \u003cem>The New York Times\u003c/em> in 2013. \u003ca href=\"https://www.salon.com/2010/02/09/jd_salinger_and_the_women/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Salon\u003c/em> wrote about it\u003c/a> in 2010, right after Salinger died. As did a pre-fame Lena Dunham, on Twitter!\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>In fact, Maynard has been talking about the emotional and mental damage wrought by J.D. Salinger’s pursuit of her since she first revealed details of the affair in her 1998 memoir, \u003cem>At Home in the World\u003c/em>. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.huffpost.com/entry/emat-home-in-the-worldem_b_441253\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2010 review\u003c/a>, \u003cem>Huffington Post\u003c/em> relayed that the J.D. Salinger described in Maynard’s book was, “pompous, astoundingly unfeeling, deceptive and defiantly hypocritical.” \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The memoir also details abusive and coercive behavior by Salinger, including restricting Maynard’s diet to such a degree that her periods stopped. And while \u003cem>At Home in the World\u003c/em> reveals that their relationship was never fully consummated—because Maynard was too fearful of losing her virginity—there is at least one description of her orally servicing Salinger while openly weeping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before the book had even come out, a 1998 \u003ca href=\"https://nymag.com/nymetro/arts/features/2162/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>New York\u003c/em> magazine article\u003c/a> detailed Salinger’s habit, at the age of 34, of “entertaining teenagers who attended the local high school. In particular, he often escorted teenage girls to school dances and sporting events.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve never been in the habit of researching the spouses of writers, but Salinger’s relationship history—now that I actively look for it—is one giant alarm bell. When he was 30, Salinger met and formed an attachment to 14-year-old Jean Miller. The two exchanged letters throughout her teens, apparently despite the objections of her mother. When she finally slept with him, at the age of 20, he immediately ditched her. When he was 36, he married 21-year-old Claire Douglas. When he was 69, he married 21-year-old Colleen O’Neill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So why didn’t I hear about all this sooner? Perhaps if I was active in literary circles, I would have known this whole time. Perhaps selective deafness was somehow at play because I spent so many of my teen years enthralled by Salinger’s work. Perhaps, after he died, I was too busy reading romantic eulogies about his brilliant, reclusive self to hear anything that his critics were saying about him. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After \u003cem>At Home in the World\u003c/em> came out, Maynard was roundly criticized by both Salinger fans and the press at large for the details she shared about him. (In fact, she battled the same vitriolic public disdain that Mia Farrow had endured just six years earlier, during her divorce from Woody Allen.) In her \u003cem>Vanity Fair\u003c/em> essay, Maynard recalls being called a “\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/19/opinion/liberties-leech-women-in-love.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">predator\u003c/a>” in \u003cem>The \u003c/em>\u003cem>New York Times \u003c/em>and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1998/08/24/avert-your-eyes-but-read-this-first/a83298f7-c63d-49e3-94d5-be60a479daa6/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">indescribably stupid\u003c/a>” in \u003cem>The\u003c/em> \u003cem>Washington Post. \u003c/em>By the time Maynard sold her letters from Salinger in a Sotheby’s auction for $156,000, even \u003cem>Entertainment Weekly\u003c/em> was calling her “\u003ca href=\"https://ew.com/article/1999/06/25/joyce-maynard-sells-jd-salingers-letters-156000/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a self-absorbed blab-it-all\u003c/a>.” Perhaps it was criticisms like these that formed a firm barrier between me and the truth about the J.D. Salinger. Or maybe I just looked the other way because I didn’t want to hear it. Frankly, I don’t even know at this point.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, I wrote about the cruelty of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13894392/hbos-tina-raises-questions-about-how-we-treat-famous-survivors-of-abuse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">making Tina Turner repeat\u003c/a> the details of her abuse over and over again for the sake of public education (and entertainment). But if Maynard hadn’t repeated herself over and over \u003cem>and over\u003c/em> again for the last 23 years—if she hadn’t continued being the much scoffed at “blab-it-all”—I, and other readers, likely would never have heard her at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It takes an enormous amount of strength and will for anyone to share details of their own abuse. But when those details concern a person who is more famous and more beloved and more respected than you, then the uphill battle requires an unbelievable reserve of tenacity. Maynard should not have had to spend literal decades battling to be heard over all that other noise. No survivor should. But I for one am grateful that she did. Shamefully, it took this long for her to get through to me.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "My Asian American Students’ Courageous Conversations After the Atlanta Shooting",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story originally appeared on KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/californiareportmagazine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The California Report Magazine\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]I[/dropcap] work in Los Angeles’ Koreatown with \u003ca href=\"https://genbygen.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">high school journalists\u003c/a> who document oral histories in our neighborhood—especially from our elders, who are often overlooked and unregarded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When we started this storytelling program last March, we captured our community’s experiences with the pandemic. We brought toilet paper and kimchi to residents who were isolated and stuck at home. We recorded stories of the loneliness of quarantine life in those early uncertain days and exposed the grief that COVID-19 wrought upon the young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last summer, as Black Lives Matter protests grew across the state, students in my workshop asked the elders in our program about their experiences with racism in America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The neighborhood I lived in had a lot of white supremacists—백인 우월주의자,” said Jong Park, 75, during an interview with Chaerin Sung, 17. “I went to the market. Every cashier there would bag all the groceries for other customers, but wouldn’t do it for us. It was racial discrimination.” [aside postid='arts_13894352']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then, over the next few months, the anti-Asian violence started to surge. Slurs turned to acid attacks and face slashings. A latent fear—seeded long ago—resurfaced into hyper-vigilance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recently, I moved to Mount Washington, a bucolic enclave in Northeast Los Angeles. My new neighbor, outraged that we were hammering a nail in the hallway, came over and screamed, “Go back to your country of origin.” Ever since, my husband and I have fretted about our physical safety. We’ve asked each other, “Do you think he has a gun?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Denny Kim, a 27-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran, was attacked in a hate crime in Koreatown, I called my son—who’s about the same age—and told him he could no longer roam his favorite streets freely, that he has to be on high alert. [aside postid='news_11821015']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Watch your back,” I told him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is what it feels like when Asian American organizations talk about a rise in fear and pain. It means we don’t feel safe in our own homes, neighborhoods and city streets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]S[/dropcap]ince most of my students were born and raised in Koreatown, I’ve worried about them too—especially after the Atlanta shootings, where four of the victims were Korean women.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is a little bit scary to walk around in Koreatown,” said Jadyn Kim, 17. “I was walking somewhere with my friend the other day. This guy called out to us and we started running because we didn’t want him to see that we were Asian. And then he started following us. That was kind of scary.” [aside postid='news_11865791']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then she added, “My friend was like, ‘I don’t want to get hate crimed today.’ We were kind of, like, joking.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jadyn’s words pierced me. How casually she considered being targeted. The use of “hate crime” as a verb. “I don’t want to get hate crimed today,” is how Koreatown teenagers have normalized the rise in violence against our community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the youth in my program are teenage girls. We talk about how racialized sexualization is embroidered into our identities in America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sarah Jho, Program Associate at the Koreatown Storytelling Program, is a recent Yale grad and K-town native who is pre-med and blindingly smart. I wanted her to speak to the young women in our workshop about her perspective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This time of collective mourning has also forced people, including my own family and friends, to confront, reckon with and re-evaluate their own biases about sex work as they seek to fully honor the lives that were lost,” she said. “I’m seeing more people talk about the longer history of sex work as it relates to Asian women and United States imperialism; as painful as it is, I’m heartened that we’re navigating these reverberations of that continued history together.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13894691\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 763px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13894691\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/abigail-portrait.jpg\" alt=\"A young Korean American woman sits on a bench.\" width=\"763\" height=\"977\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/abigail-portrait.jpg 763w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/abigail-portrait-160x205.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 763px) 100vw, 763px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“[I was] only seen for how I look—not my personality, not my intellect, nothing else—just the fact that I was Asian,” Abigail Eun said. \u003ccite>(Abigail Eun)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Abigail Eun, 17, talked about being approached by two white teenage boys and being compared to an anime character. “We usually call this yellow fever—when an individual is obsessed with Asian women,” Eun shared. “It made me feel so weird and uncomfortable because I felt like I was being sexualized for the fact that I was Asian. Only seen for how I look—not my personality, not my intellect, nothing else—just the fact that I was Asian.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I asked the girls in my class when they had come across the notion of “yellow fever,” they all concurred: middle school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time these girls were around 12, they were already aware of being fetishized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Hypersexualized cartoon characters,” Cailey Beck, 17, said, explaining anime and hentai girls. “They’re often schoolgirls—even younger than us—and drawn with crazy proportions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13894692\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 768px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13894692\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/1EF1E3C6-2824-4C02-8BDB-4699474FE5EC_1_105_c.jpeg\" alt=\"A young Asian American woman with glasses gazes into the distance in a back and white portrait.\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/1EF1E3C6-2824-4C02-8BDB-4699474FE5EC_1_105_c.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/1EF1E3C6-2824-4C02-8BDB-4699474FE5EC_1_105_c-160x213.jpeg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Hypersexualized cartoon characters [in anime and hentai] are often schoolgirls—even younger than us—and drawn with crazy proportions. But it’s actually a symptom of something more systematic,” said Cailey Beck. \u003ccite>(Cailey Beck)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Beck acknowledged these caricatures are part of the problem. “But it’s actually a symptom of something more systematic,” she added, knowingly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When we discuss implicit bias, the seeds for the discrimination and hatred against Asian women have always been systemic, meaning launched and incited by our government. Awareness, advocacy and amplification—and documenting these abhorrent and ever-increasing incidents—is the only way to ensure our voices are recorded, historicized and heard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think about the six Asian women who were murdered in Atlanta. What keeps replaying in my head is their last moments. A shaft of light in the late afternoon at a workplace where they didn’t want to be. What was the outline for their aspirations? When they thought of their families, were they longing for them?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many of them were mothers—single mothers, grandmothers—immigrant elders who could have raised the young women in my program. Now, grief around their deaths is mobilizing these girls to resist anti-Asian stereotypes and violence. Through storytelling, these conversations are beginning to uproot the hate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story originally appeared on KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/californiareportmagazine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The California Report Magazine\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">I\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp> work in Los Angeles’ Koreatown with \u003ca href=\"https://genbygen.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">high school journalists\u003c/a> who document oral histories in our neighborhood—especially from our elders, who are often overlooked and unregarded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When we started this storytelling program last March, we captured our community’s experiences with the pandemic. We brought toilet paper and kimchi to residents who were isolated and stuck at home. We recorded stories of the loneliness of quarantine life in those early uncertain days and exposed the grief that COVID-19 wrought upon the young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last summer, as Black Lives Matter protests grew across the state, students in my workshop asked the elders in our program about their experiences with racism in America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The neighborhood I lived in had a lot of white supremacists—백인 우월주의자,” said Jong Park, 75, during an interview with Chaerin Sung, 17. “I went to the market. Every cashier there would bag all the groceries for other customers, but wouldn’t do it for us. It was racial discrimination.” \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then, over the next few months, the anti-Asian violence started to surge. Slurs turned to acid attacks and face slashings. A latent fear—seeded long ago—resurfaced into hyper-vigilance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recently, I moved to Mount Washington, a bucolic enclave in Northeast Los Angeles. My new neighbor, outraged that we were hammering a nail in the hallway, came over and screamed, “Go back to your country of origin.” Ever since, my husband and I have fretted about our physical safety. We’ve asked each other, “Do you think he has a gun?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Denny Kim, a 27-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran, was attacked in a hate crime in Koreatown, I called my son—who’s about the same age—and told him he could no longer roam his favorite streets freely, that he has to be on high alert. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Watch your back,” I told him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is what it feels like when Asian American organizations talk about a rise in fear and pain. It means we don’t feel safe in our own homes, neighborhoods and city streets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">S\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>ince most of my students were born and raised in Koreatown, I’ve worried about them too—especially after the Atlanta shootings, where four of the victims were Korean women.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is a little bit scary to walk around in Koreatown,” said Jadyn Kim, 17. “I was walking somewhere with my friend the other day. This guy called out to us and we started running because we didn’t want him to see that we were Asian. And then he started following us. That was kind of scary.” \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then she added, “My friend was like, ‘I don’t want to get hate crimed today.’ We were kind of, like, joking.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jadyn’s words pierced me. How casually she considered being targeted. The use of “hate crime” as a verb. “I don’t want to get hate crimed today,” is how Koreatown teenagers have normalized the rise in violence against our community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the youth in my program are teenage girls. We talk about how racialized sexualization is embroidered into our identities in America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sarah Jho, Program Associate at the Koreatown Storytelling Program, is a recent Yale grad and K-town native who is pre-med and blindingly smart. I wanted her to speak to the young women in our workshop about her perspective.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This time of collective mourning has also forced people, including my own family and friends, to confront, reckon with and re-evaluate their own biases about sex work as they seek to fully honor the lives that were lost,” she said. “I’m seeing more people talk about the longer history of sex work as it relates to Asian women and United States imperialism; as painful as it is, I’m heartened that we’re navigating these reverberations of that continued history together.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13894691\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 763px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13894691\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/abigail-portrait.jpg\" alt=\"A young Korean American woman sits on a bench.\" width=\"763\" height=\"977\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/abigail-portrait.jpg 763w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/abigail-portrait-160x205.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 763px) 100vw, 763px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“[I was] only seen for how I look—not my personality, not my intellect, nothing else—just the fact that I was Asian,” Abigail Eun said. \u003ccite>(Abigail Eun)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Abigail Eun, 17, talked about being approached by two white teenage boys and being compared to an anime character. “We usually call this yellow fever—when an individual is obsessed with Asian women,” Eun shared. “It made me feel so weird and uncomfortable because I felt like I was being sexualized for the fact that I was Asian. Only seen for how I look—not my personality, not my intellect, nothing else—just the fact that I was Asian.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I asked the girls in my class when they had come across the notion of “yellow fever,” they all concurred: middle school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time these girls were around 12, they were already aware of being fetishized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Hypersexualized cartoon characters,” Cailey Beck, 17, said, explaining anime and hentai girls. “They’re often schoolgirls—even younger than us—and drawn with crazy proportions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13894692\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 768px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13894692\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/1EF1E3C6-2824-4C02-8BDB-4699474FE5EC_1_105_c.jpeg\" alt=\"A young Asian American woman with glasses gazes into the distance in a back and white portrait.\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/1EF1E3C6-2824-4C02-8BDB-4699474FE5EC_1_105_c.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/1EF1E3C6-2824-4C02-8BDB-4699474FE5EC_1_105_c-160x213.jpeg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Hypersexualized cartoon characters [in anime and hentai] are often schoolgirls—even younger than us—and drawn with crazy proportions. But it’s actually a symptom of something more systematic,” said Cailey Beck. \u003ccite>(Cailey Beck)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Beck acknowledged these caricatures are part of the problem. “But it’s actually a symptom of something more systematic,” she added, knowingly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When we discuss implicit bias, the seeds for the discrimination and hatred against Asian women have always been systemic, meaning launched and incited by our government. Awareness, advocacy and amplification—and documenting these abhorrent and ever-increasing incidents—is the only way to ensure our voices are recorded, historicized and heard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think about the six Asian women who were murdered in Atlanta. What keeps replaying in my head is their last moments. A shaft of light in the late afternoon at a workplace where they didn’t want to be. What was the outline for their aspirations? When they thought of their families, were they longing for them?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many of them were mothers—single mothers, grandmothers—immigrant elders who could have raised the young women in my program. Now, grief around their deaths is mobilizing these girls to resist anti-Asian stereotypes and violence. Through storytelling, these conversations are beginning to uproot the hate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Content warning:\u003c/strong> This story contains graphic depictions of sexual harassment, racism and violence.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At last, a reckoning with what it’s like to be an Asian American woman has come. It took eight people—six of them Asian women—murdered by a white, male shooter in Atlanta for the rest of America to understand that the hyper-sexualization of Asian American women’s bodies leads to death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anti-Asian hate crimes are on the rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The organization Stop AAPI Hate \u003ca href=\"https://a1w.90d.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/210312-Stop-AAPI-Hate-National-Report-.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">counted 3,795 hate incidents\u003c/a> from all 50 states and Washington D.C. from March 2020 to February 2021. Verbal harassment make up 68% of them, while physical assault constitutes 11%. Women are 2.3 times more likely to report these kinds of attacks than men. An even more disturbing statistic is that Asian women are the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/forced-labour/policy-areas/statistics/lang--en/index.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">most trafficked group worldwide\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fetishization of Asian American women is nothing new. The media’s portrayal of Asian women as subservient and/or deviant—in other words, sexual beings created for other people’s erotic fantasies—has clearly been harmful to society at large. Historically, pop culture has only amplified these objectifying stereotypes. From \u003ca href=\"https://nextshark.com/jasmin-brown-asian-nail-salon/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cheap nail salon jokes\u003c/a> to full mockery \u003ca href=\"https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/nice-work-amy-schumer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reducing Asian women to their genitalia\u003c/a>, Asian American women have been historically used as punchlines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Prior to writing this article, I \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/SosyalGal/status/1372300721803067393?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">tweeted an invitation\u003c/a> for Asian American women to tell me their stories of objectification and harassment, and what came after was a deluge of fierce voices, absolutely defying the subservient stereotypes that have been cast over them. [aside postid='news_11865791']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deep in the flood of stories were common tropes and slurs: “Ling Ling,” “Oriental chick,” “Tiger Lily,” “Little China Doll,” “Geisha,” the “mail-order bride.” A woman wrote that after she moved to San Francisco, she was asked very casually among a group of “friends” if her vagina was as small as her eyes. Another woman from Charleston, South Carolina claimed that somebody suggested she should work at Forever 21 because “they loved Orientals there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other women shared that they were repeatedly described as “exotic” and subjected to off-the-cuff remarks about Asian women’s genitalia (one woman shared that on a first date she was asked if she was one of those “hairless Asians”). They recalled too many sexually degrading comments to count (“You look like a pornstar I know,” “You’re my first Asian,” “Your body is so tempting,” “Speak Asian to me while we have sex,” “I’d like to eat some Chinese takeout tonight,” “I’d like to catch Yellow Fever”). As a Filipina myself, these damaging insults were so difficult to read.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13894381\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13894381\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/Image-from-iOS-1-800x532.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/Image-from-iOS-1-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/Image-from-iOS-1-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/Image-from-iOS-1-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/Image-from-iOS-1-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/Image-from-iOS-1-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/Image-from-iOS-1-2048x1363.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/Image-from-iOS-1-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A demonstrator holds a sign that says, “Protect our Mothers, Fathers, Grandmas, Grandpas” during a vigil and rally in Chinatown in San Francisco on March 20, 2021. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And then there were stories that were much more atrocious. Stories that hit close to home for me. A stalking incident so horrible the woman still remembers the sound of her stalker’s footsteps. Others described dodging certain neighborhoods and businesses out of fear for their safety. And even in their workplaces, the sexualization followed them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A woman shared with KQED, “At an office job I had, the CEO accidentally copied me on an email he sent his friends with the subject line ‘Happy Friday.’ Over a dozen photos of naked Asian women in the body of the email. At 20, I didn’t speak up like I should have. I was too scared of losing my job and income, good health insurance, a job that was flexible with my work schedule, was afraid no one would believe me. When my boss came to my cubicle to ‘apologize,’ he told me to delete the email in front of him.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another woman recalled meeting an elected official at a professional event. “I stuck my hand out and instead of shaking my hand, he put his arm around me and said to a group of colleagues: ‘Hey, look at me, I’m Woody Allen and I love Asian women.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let’s be clear: these sexual jokes open the doors for dehumanization that leads to people like the Atlanta gunman to think of us as objects meant to fulfill their sexual fantasies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eroticizing our existence reconstructs our bodies into sexual objects. Summarizing the existence of Asian American women in a comedic sketch or a stereotype decimates the agency we fight to have over our bodies. It steals our childhood, our girlhood and our womanhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The podcast \u003ca href=\"https://thisfilipinoamericanlife.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>This Filipino American Life\u003c/em>\u003c/a> recently delved into how racial fetishization of Asian women is rooted in “European and American imperialism of Asia dating back more than 100 years. Military occupation has shaped and informed the ‘R&R’ economies at Subic and Clark in the Philippines, the global sex trafficking industry and low-wage work at massage parlors in the United States.” A Filipino shared with KQED, “One time I was on vacation at a resort in Clark, Pampanga. In the restaurant, two uniformed American servicemen approached us and asked us, ‘How much?’ We didn’t understand at the time that they thought we were prostitutes. We were around 15 at the time. One serviceman said to the other, ‘I don’t think they’re…you know.’ His friend scoffed and said, ‘You haven’t been here long. They’ll all do it for enough money.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These stomach-churning stories speak volumes about the everyday atrocities Asian American women experience. [aside postid='arts_13892437']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It took a white male murderer for America to hear us. Asian Americans have been here for centuries, and Asian women have been marginalized, dehumanized and brutalized throughout that entire time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I am enraged that Asian women have constantly been treated as objects under the white gaze. I am exhausted knowing that the majority of these hate crimes were not immediately reported in the media because they were not seen as breaking news.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the time has come for the awakening of the Asian American woman. Our headline-worthy stories were never meant to be sidelined. Though the threads of our cultures are different, when woven together, the tapestry of our unified bond as Asian American women is immutable. We were not born to be anyone’s objects for on-demand pleasure. We are not punchlines or punching bags. We come from generations of unbreakable women from Asia, and are continually protected by our ancestors. We are women of the mountains, the seas, the islands, the rice fields and more. We will not be erased.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re an Asian American woman and you’re reading this, I urge you to tell your story. To scream, full-throated, into the digital wild, and find your community in person too. We’re waiting to listen, honor and cherish your existence.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Additional Resources:\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anti-Asian Violence Resources\u003c/a> offers a list of educational resources, places to donate and mental health support for Asian Americans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/aapiwomenlead/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AAPI Women Lead\u003c/a> organizes racial and gender justice campaigns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://advancingjustice-aajc.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Asian Americans Advancing Justice\u003c/a> advocates for Asian Americans’ civil rights and builds AAPI political power.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://compassioninoakland.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Compassion in Oakland\u003c/a> organizes volunteers to escort elders on walks in Oakland Chinatown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.chinatowncdc.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chinatown Community Development Center\u003c/a> offers affordable housing and advocacy to San Francisco’s Chinatown neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/stopaapihate/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stop AAPI Hate\u003c/a> takes reports on anti-Asian hate incidents, collects statistics and advocates for victims of crimes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/oakchinatowncoalition/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Oakland Chinatown Coalition\u003c/a> is a network of community groups, businesses, churches and neighbors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/redcanarysong/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Red Canary Song\u003c/a> is an activist coalition of Asian sex workers and immigrants in New York City.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/butterflycsw/\">ButterflyCSW\u003c/a> is an Asian and migrant sex worker support network.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cpasf.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chinese Progressive Association\u003c/a> is a coalition of low-income Chinese San Francisco residents advocating for racial and economic justice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ebaldc/\">East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation\u003c/a> offers social and financial services and builds affordable housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/pinayista/\">Pinayista\u003c/a> is a support network for Filipina women.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/the.drtherapinay/\">Dr.Therapinay\u003c/a> offers mental health resources for the Filipino community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/beyonkz/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bianca Mabute-Louie\u003c/a> is a racial justice consultant and educator focused on Asian America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/teachandtransform/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Liz Kleinrock\u003c/a> is an anti-bias, anti-racist educator.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deep in the flood of stories were common tropes and slurs: “Ling Ling,” “Oriental chick,” “Tiger Lily,” “Little China Doll,” “Geisha,” the “mail-order bride.” A woman wrote that after she moved to San Francisco, she was asked very casually among a group of “friends” if her vagina was as small as her eyes. Another woman from Charleston, South Carolina claimed that somebody suggested she should work at Forever 21 because “they loved Orientals there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other women shared that they were repeatedly described as “exotic” and subjected to off-the-cuff remarks about Asian women’s genitalia (one woman shared that on a first date she was asked if she was one of those “hairless Asians”). They recalled too many sexually degrading comments to count (“You look like a pornstar I know,” “You’re my first Asian,” “Your body is so tempting,” “Speak Asian to me while we have sex,” “I’d like to eat some Chinese takeout tonight,” “I’d like to catch Yellow Fever”). As a Filipina myself, these damaging insults were so difficult to read.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13894381\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13894381\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/Image-from-iOS-1-800x532.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/Image-from-iOS-1-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/Image-from-iOS-1-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/Image-from-iOS-1-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/Image-from-iOS-1-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/Image-from-iOS-1-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/Image-from-iOS-1-2048x1363.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/03/Image-from-iOS-1-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A demonstrator holds a sign that says, “Protect our Mothers, Fathers, Grandmas, Grandpas” during a vigil and rally in Chinatown in San Francisco on March 20, 2021. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And then there were stories that were much more atrocious. Stories that hit close to home for me. A stalking incident so horrible the woman still remembers the sound of her stalker’s footsteps. Others described dodging certain neighborhoods and businesses out of fear for their safety. And even in their workplaces, the sexualization followed them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A woman shared with KQED, “At an office job I had, the CEO accidentally copied me on an email he sent his friends with the subject line ‘Happy Friday.’ Over a dozen photos of naked Asian women in the body of the email. At 20, I didn’t speak up like I should have. I was too scared of losing my job and income, good health insurance, a job that was flexible with my work schedule, was afraid no one would believe me. When my boss came to my cubicle to ‘apologize,’ he told me to delete the email in front of him.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another woman recalled meeting an elected official at a professional event. “I stuck my hand out and instead of shaking my hand, he put his arm around me and said to a group of colleagues: ‘Hey, look at me, I’m Woody Allen and I love Asian women.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let’s be clear: these sexual jokes open the doors for dehumanization that leads to people like the Atlanta gunman to think of us as objects meant to fulfill their sexual fantasies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eroticizing our existence reconstructs our bodies into sexual objects. Summarizing the existence of Asian American women in a comedic sketch or a stereotype decimates the agency we fight to have over our bodies. It steals our childhood, our girlhood and our womanhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The podcast \u003ca href=\"https://thisfilipinoamericanlife.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>This Filipino American Life\u003c/em>\u003c/a> recently delved into how racial fetishization of Asian women is rooted in “European and American imperialism of Asia dating back more than 100 years. Military occupation has shaped and informed the ‘R&R’ economies at Subic and Clark in the Philippines, the global sex trafficking industry and low-wage work at massage parlors in the United States.” A Filipino shared with KQED, “One time I was on vacation at a resort in Clark, Pampanga. In the restaurant, two uniformed American servicemen approached us and asked us, ‘How much?’ We didn’t understand at the time that they thought we were prostitutes. We were around 15 at the time. One serviceman said to the other, ‘I don’t think they’re…you know.’ His friend scoffed and said, ‘You haven’t been here long. They’ll all do it for enough money.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These stomach-churning stories speak volumes about the everyday atrocities Asian American women experience. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It took a white male murderer for America to hear us. Asian Americans have been here for centuries, and Asian women have been marginalized, dehumanized and brutalized throughout that entire time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I am enraged that Asian women have constantly been treated as objects under the white gaze. I am exhausted knowing that the majority of these hate crimes were not immediately reported in the media because they were not seen as breaking news.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the time has come for the awakening of the Asian American woman. Our headline-worthy stories were never meant to be sidelined. Though the threads of our cultures are different, when woven together, the tapestry of our unified bond as Asian American women is immutable. We were not born to be anyone’s objects for on-demand pleasure. We are not punchlines or punching bags. We come from generations of unbreakable women from Asia, and are continually protected by our ancestors. We are women of the mountains, the seas, the islands, the rice fields and more. We will not be erased.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re an Asian American woman and you’re reading this, I urge you to tell your story. To scream, full-throated, into the digital wild, and find your community in person too. We’re waiting to listen, honor and cherish your existence.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Additional Resources:\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anti-Asian Violence Resources\u003c/a> offers a list of educational resources, places to donate and mental health support for Asian Americans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/aapiwomenlead/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AAPI Women Lead\u003c/a> organizes racial and gender justice campaigns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://advancingjustice-aajc.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Asian Americans Advancing Justice\u003c/a> advocates for Asian Americans’ civil rights and builds AAPI political power.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://compassioninoakland.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Compassion in Oakland\u003c/a> organizes volunteers to escort elders on walks in Oakland Chinatown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.chinatowncdc.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chinatown Community Development Center\u003c/a> offers affordable housing and advocacy to San Francisco’s Chinatown neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/stopaapihate/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stop AAPI Hate\u003c/a> takes reports on anti-Asian hate incidents, collects statistics and advocates for victims of crimes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/oakchinatowncoalition/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Oakland Chinatown Coalition\u003c/a> is a network of community groups, businesses, churches and neighbors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/redcanarysong/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Red Canary Song\u003c/a> is an activist coalition of Asian sex workers and immigrants in New York City.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/butterflycsw/\">ButterflyCSW\u003c/a> is an Asian and migrant sex worker support network.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cpasf.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chinese Progressive Association\u003c/a> is a coalition of low-income Chinese San Francisco residents advocating for racial and economic justice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ebaldc/\">East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation\u003c/a> offers social and financial services and builds affordable housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/pinayista/\">Pinayista\u003c/a> is a support network for Filipina women.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/the.drtherapinay/\">Dr.Therapinay\u003c/a> offers mental health resources for the Filipino community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/beyonkz/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bianca Mabute-Louie\u003c/a> is a racial justice consultant and educator focused on Asian America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/teachandtransform/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Liz Kleinrock\u003c/a> is an anti-bias, anti-racist educator.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>To save us all some time, I’m going to start this by being blunt. A lot of my friends are dead. Romantic partners, roommates, high school friends, college friends, music scene friends, co-workers—too many to mention by name here. I can tell you that the youngest was 15 and the oldest was 47. And that there have been cancers, vehicular collisions, strokes, suicides, freak accidents, substance abuse, mental health problems, and one random act of violence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It doesn’t get easier, but you do get less surprised the more that it happens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I get the sense that more people understand that now than maybe did a year ago. Because in that time, of course, well over half a million American lives were lost to COVID-19. That’s too many to even comprehend, but calculations say a third of the country’s population lost someone. And I believe it. Because in the last 12 months—for the first time in my entire life—it has felt like the whole world stepped through the curtain and joined me in the waiting room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mourning one death while cautiously anticipating the next is not, as my mother has been fond of reminding me for years, “normal.” But we’re all in here now. In one way or another. [aside postid='news_11859088']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The thing with grief is that it does things to you that no one ever warns you about. Yes, grief is random and different each time, depending on who you are and who you’ve lost. But there are also a few things I wish I’d known earlier—the stuff that nobody wants to tell you because it probably sounds too harsh. But I do believe that knowing these things helps you move through grief better prepared, and stronger for it. And, as we ease out of this pandemic and start the business of all of this painful processing, we need all the help we can get. So I wanted to share some things I have learned the hard way (i.e. by doing it wrong).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[Please note that the following is based purely on personal experience and may not be applicable to everyone. I am not a mental health professional; I’m just a journalist who’s done this a lot.]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>1. Ignore the Concept of Finite Stages of Grief\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the biggest mistakes I ever made, grief-wise, was to assume that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.verywellmind.com/five-stages-of-grief-4175361\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">five\u003c/a> stages (or \u003ca href=\"https://www.healthline.com/health/stages-of-grief\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">seven\u003c/a>—depends who you ask) would just happen over time, in due process, and then I’d go back to normal. That is not what happens. Grief is not orderly. Worse, the idea of finite stages implies an end point to grieving. Trust me when I say you won’t necessarily get to an end point. Sometimes grief stays with you forever. It is far better to prepare for that eventuality than to assume it will all cease to hurt once you’ve ticked your way down the list.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>2. Be Prepared For Loopy Thoughts\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7815.The_Year_of_Magical_Thinking\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joan Didion’s \u003cem>The Year of Magical Thinking\u003c/em>\u003c/a> was the first account of grief I ever read in which the writer unabashedly acknowledged the bizarre trips your brain takes you on after someone you love dies. And I cannot describe the relief of knowing I was not on my own. To give you a good example from the book, two months after her husband’s sudden death, Didion details packing up his clothing to give away. She has been encouraged to do this by various loved ones so is trying her best to get on with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Didion writes:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>I was not yet prepared to address the suits and shirts and jackets but I thought I could handle what remained of the shoes, a start.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I stopped at the door to the room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I could not give away the rest of his shoes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I stood there for a moment, then realized why: he would need shoes if he was to return.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The recognition of this thought by no means eradicated the thought.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>This is actually normal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>3. Time Doesn’t Heal All Wounds\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m really sorry about this one. I am. But I strongly suspect that “time heals all wounds” is a lie someone made up to stop someone else from crying. Hoping time alone is going to heal your grief is like assuming a severed finger is going to grow back just because you want it to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in 2013, my husband died suddenly. It is, far and away, the single worst thing that has ever happened to me. But because I was under the impression that time was an almighty healer back then, I thought all I had to do was white knuckle it for long enough and the agony would dissipate. It didn’t. And when it still hadn’t gone away three years later, in my confused, exhausted state, I convinced myself that my “grief energy” had worked its way into my home and was preventing me from healing. (See: No. 2.) I responded to this suspicion by cutting off all my hair, giving away all my furniture, and moving to Texas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I recognize now that I was having a very organized, very quiet, very geographically ambitious breakdown. But that’s what relying too heavily on time fixing stuff gets you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>4. You Can’t Go Back\u003c/strong>[aside postid='pop_105551']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure this out, but getting over a death is not about getting back to who you were and how you felt before the loss. That, unfortunately, is impossible. Death leaves slashes across your life, dividing it into ‘before’ and ‘after’ segments. As such, you have to learn how to treasure the before without hanging onto it too tightly—doing so will stop you from moving forward into the after. It takes a while to get to grips with this one, but knowing you eventually have to might help you get there quicker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>5. Everything Doesn’t Happen For a Reason\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When you are in mourning, a lot of people will tell you everything happens for a reason. These people are well-meaning, but absolutely infuriating. Sometimes terrible things just happen and are impossible to make sense of. Please don’t waste your energy on trying to find meaning where there is none. Focus instead on the healing you’ve got to do—it’s time much better spent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>6. Your Body Might Feel Permanently Different\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deep grief for a lot of people feels a lot like being hollowed out and weighed down simultaneously. At the start, that extra weight you feel is unwieldy and exhausting and it can drag you down to the point of depressed immobility. You think you’ll never be able to carry it on your own. And there’s a good chance that your friends and family \u003cem>are\u003c/em> going to need to help you shoulder that burden. After a while though, you do figure out how to carry the weight on your own. And after a long time, you’ll have entire days and weeks where you don’t even notice it. After an accident or an operation, there is a period of figuring out how to function in your new body. Sometimes grief necessitates a form of physical recovery as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>7. Don’t Forget to Cry When You Want To\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It sounds so basic, I know. But culturally, we are not in a place where we can all just burst into tears whenever we feel like it—even in a pandemic. And holding it in is legit bad for you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the first half of 2020, I lost two friends in three days, and then my dog died. In the second half of 2020, I was suddenly afflicted with severe and chronic back pain that massage, physiotherapy and acupressure all failed to fix. The thing that rid me of it in the end? Energy work that was performed by a concerned friend \u003cem>over the phone\u003c/em>. (I didn’t even know such a thing existed.) The many distractions and stresses of 2020 meant I had not been crying enough. My body needed me to stop and let it happen, and it physically hurt me until I finally did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>8. Using Alcohol and/or Weed is Fine\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re grieving, unless sobriety is something you’ve been actively working towards or living with, do not beat yourself up for wanting to take the edge off. A lot of professionals don’t feel okay admitting this out loud, but which is better: staying up for three days with raging grief-insomnia or drinking a glass of whiskey and/or smoking some indica, so you can actually get some rest? Using alcohol or any other substance as a daily crutch is not going to go well in the long term. But grabbing a break from the pain every now and again is perfectly fine—unless you are an addict or risk harming others by imbibing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>9. You Already Know You Need Therapy, Right? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course you do. Every grief column on the internet says so. But it bears repeating, even on a list of things that people don’t usually tell you. I have mourned with and without a therapist—and \u003cem>with\u003c/em> is definitely better. Last summer, KQED’s Nastia Voynovskaya, compiled a list of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13881725/where-to-find-affordable-culturally-competent-therapy-in-bay-area-and-beyond\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">affordable, sliding scale and culturally competent therapy\u003c/a> options in the Bay Area. If you can access any of these resources, you will more than likely benefit. And if you are unable to, please seek advice elsewhere. I recommend utilizing grief podcasts, Facebook grief pages and local help groups. Because knowing you’re not on your own is half the battle. And after the last 12 months? Well, you are definitely not alone.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[Please note that the following is based purely on personal experience and may not be applicable to everyone. I am not a mental health professional; I’m just a journalist who’s done this a lot.]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>1. Ignore the Concept of Finite Stages of Grief\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the biggest mistakes I ever made, grief-wise, was to assume that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.verywellmind.com/five-stages-of-grief-4175361\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">five\u003c/a> stages (or \u003ca href=\"https://www.healthline.com/health/stages-of-grief\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">seven\u003c/a>—depends who you ask) would just happen over time, in due process, and then I’d go back to normal. That is not what happens. Grief is not orderly. Worse, the idea of finite stages implies an end point to grieving. Trust me when I say you won’t necessarily get to an end point. Sometimes grief stays with you forever. It is far better to prepare for that eventuality than to assume it will all cease to hurt once you’ve ticked your way down the list.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>2. Be Prepared For Loopy Thoughts\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7815.The_Year_of_Magical_Thinking\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joan Didion’s \u003cem>The Year of Magical Thinking\u003c/em>\u003c/a> was the first account of grief I ever read in which the writer unabashedly acknowledged the bizarre trips your brain takes you on after someone you love dies. And I cannot describe the relief of knowing I was not on my own. To give you a good example from the book, two months after her husband’s sudden death, Didion details packing up his clothing to give away. She has been encouraged to do this by various loved ones so is trying her best to get on with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Didion writes:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>I was not yet prepared to address the suits and shirts and jackets but I thought I could handle what remained of the shoes, a start.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I stopped at the door to the room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I could not give away the rest of his shoes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I stood there for a moment, then realized why: he would need shoes if he was to return.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The recognition of this thought by no means eradicated the thought.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>This is actually normal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>3. Time Doesn’t Heal All Wounds\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m really sorry about this one. I am. But I strongly suspect that “time heals all wounds” is a lie someone made up to stop someone else from crying. Hoping time alone is going to heal your grief is like assuming a severed finger is going to grow back just because you want it to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in 2013, my husband died suddenly. It is, far and away, the single worst thing that has ever happened to me. But because I was under the impression that time was an almighty healer back then, I thought all I had to do was white knuckle it for long enough and the agony would dissipate. It didn’t. And when it still hadn’t gone away three years later, in my confused, exhausted state, I convinced myself that my “grief energy” had worked its way into my home and was preventing me from healing. (See: No. 2.) I responded to this suspicion by cutting off all my hair, giving away all my furniture, and moving to Texas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I recognize now that I was having a very organized, very quiet, very geographically ambitious breakdown. But that’s what relying too heavily on time fixing stuff gets you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>4. You Can’t Go Back\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure this out, but getting over a death is not about getting back to who you were and how you felt before the loss. That, unfortunately, is impossible. Death leaves slashes across your life, dividing it into ‘before’ and ‘after’ segments. As such, you have to learn how to treasure the before without hanging onto it too tightly—doing so will stop you from moving forward into the after. It takes a while to get to grips with this one, but knowing you eventually have to might help you get there quicker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>5. Everything Doesn’t Happen For a Reason\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When you are in mourning, a lot of people will tell you everything happens for a reason. These people are well-meaning, but absolutely infuriating. Sometimes terrible things just happen and are impossible to make sense of. Please don’t waste your energy on trying to find meaning where there is none. Focus instead on the healing you’ve got to do—it’s time much better spent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>6. Your Body Might Feel Permanently Different\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Deep grief for a lot of people feels a lot like being hollowed out and weighed down simultaneously. At the start, that extra weight you feel is unwieldy and exhausting and it can drag you down to the point of depressed immobility. You think you’ll never be able to carry it on your own. And there’s a good chance that your friends and family \u003cem>are\u003c/em> going to need to help you shoulder that burden. After a while though, you do figure out how to carry the weight on your own. And after a long time, you’ll have entire days and weeks where you don’t even notice it. After an accident or an operation, there is a period of figuring out how to function in your new body. Sometimes grief necessitates a form of physical recovery as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>7. Don’t Forget to Cry When You Want To\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It sounds so basic, I know. But culturally, we are not in a place where we can all just burst into tears whenever we feel like it—even in a pandemic. And holding it in is legit bad for you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the first half of 2020, I lost two friends in three days, and then my dog died. In the second half of 2020, I was suddenly afflicted with severe and chronic back pain that massage, physiotherapy and acupressure all failed to fix. The thing that rid me of it in the end? Energy work that was performed by a concerned friend \u003cem>over the phone\u003c/em>. (I didn’t even know such a thing existed.) The many distractions and stresses of 2020 meant I had not been crying enough. My body needed me to stop and let it happen, and it physically hurt me until I finally did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>8. Using Alcohol and/or Weed is Fine\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re grieving, unless sobriety is something you’ve been actively working towards or living with, do not beat yourself up for wanting to take the edge off. A lot of professionals don’t feel okay admitting this out loud, but which is better: staying up for three days with raging grief-insomnia or drinking a glass of whiskey and/or smoking some indica, so you can actually get some rest? Using alcohol or any other substance as a daily crutch is not going to go well in the long term. But grabbing a break from the pain every now and again is perfectly fine—unless you are an addict or risk harming others by imbibing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>9. You Already Know You Need Therapy, Right? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course you do. Every grief column on the internet says so. But it bears repeating, even on a list of things that people don’t usually tell you. I have mourned with and without a therapist—and \u003cem>with\u003c/em> is definitely better. Last summer, KQED’s Nastia Voynovskaya, compiled a list of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13881725/where-to-find-affordable-culturally-competent-therapy-in-bay-area-and-beyond\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">affordable, sliding scale and culturally competent therapy\u003c/a> options in the Bay Area. If you can access any of these resources, you will more than likely benefit. And if you are unable to, please seek advice elsewhere. I recommend utilizing grief podcasts, Facebook grief pages and local help groups. Because knowing you’re not on your own is half the battle. And after the last 12 months? Well, you are definitely not alone.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Over the past 48 hours, an emotional outpouring has flooded Twitter, the likes of which has not been seen since the international \u003ca href=\"https://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2017-silence-breakers/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#MeToo uprising\u003c/a> of 2017.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This week, British women have once again been sharing stories about assault, harassment and the ever-present fear that comes with moving through public spaces. And they’re doing it because of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/03/11/976092455/disappearance-of-london-woman-walking-home-alone-sparks-grief-and-anger-across-u\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sarah Everard\u003c/a>—a 33-year-old woman who disappeared while walking home in South London on March 3. A police officer has since been arrested on suspicion of her murder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Multiple observers have noted that Everard met a violent end despite taking an abundance of precautions. The marketing executive left her friend’s house at an early hour, stuck to main roads and wore brightly-colored, sensible walking gear. Still, the human remains that police discovered a week later, 56 miles away in Kent, were identified as Sarah Everard on Friday morning. [aside postid='arts_13875149']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the United States, the case is a reminder to many of us of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13875149/amie-harwicks-death-is-a-confirmation-of-womens-worst-fears\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amie Harwick\u003c/a>. The therapist was murdered in her Los Angeles home in February 2020, despite taking out multiple restraining orders against her ex-boyfriend. She’d spent her career counseling survivors of domestic violence and educating women about maintaining safe boundaries. Everard, like Harwick, did everything right. The fact that it wasn’t enough to keep her safe has left women across the UK reeling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sky News journalist Kate McCann posted a thread on Twitter that captured the national mood. “We take the longer, better-lit route,” she wrote, “but still we make a plan. Keys gripped between fingers, we map the corner shops we could duck into en-route.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/KateEMcCann/status/1369682523157102595\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/KateEMcCann/status/1369682658662490117\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The grief and outrage for Sarah Everard is now so widespread that when #NotAllMen started making ripples on Twitter yesterday, the hashtag was quickly \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/therealtomcee/status/1370101878290219008\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">hijacked\u003c/a> by people speaking out about gender-based violence. Among them was a surprising number of men. (It should not be surprising in 2021 when men publicly express their desire to stop women being frightened, hurt or killed, but somehow it still is.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/Scroobiuspipyo/status/1370050861477416963\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/jayrayner1/status/1369591783051649026\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/AlfieIndra/status/1370108421404569600\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition, a highly emotive clip from \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jQSqjYqPlg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>X\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, an HBO special by Scottish comedian \u003ca href=\"https://danielsloss.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Daniel Sloss\u003c/a>, is being widely circulated. In the clip from his 2019 set, Sloss takes accountability for the fact that he never called out the sexist behavior of one of his male friends. That friend of eight years subsequently raped a woman Sloss was friends with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are monsters amongst us and they look like us,” Sloss says. “Don’t just sit back and think ‘Well, I’m not part of the problem. Therefore, I must be part of the solution.’ When one in ten men are shit and the other nine do nothing, they might as well not fucking be there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/Femi_Sorry/status/1370013298968715270\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, this isn’t the first time men have shown support for women grappling with sexual violence. (\u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/mar/03/james-franco-accusers-me-too-bandwagon-lawsuit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Not all of them genuine\u003c/a>, unfortunately.) But there are signs—across the pond, at least—that a sea change might be occurring. [aside postid='arts_13890303']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On March 8, the UK edition of \u003cem>GQ\u003c/em> published an in-depth article about Britain’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/gq-hype/article/domestic-abuse-lockdown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">domestic abuse crisis\u003c/a>.” Not only was it an unlikely subject for a mainstream men’s magazine, it wasn’t afraid to lay the bulk of the responsibility for soaring rates of intimate partner violence squarely at the feet of men. The wider culture that perpetuates misogyny didn’t get off lightly either.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s more, the story was exhaustive, featuring extensive statistics, interviews with survivors, a guide to \u003cem>all\u003c/em> behavior that should be acknowledged as abusive (including coercion), plus a list titled the “Eight Stages of Abuse.” George Chesterton’s essay even took the time to debunk old myths about violence against women, in particular the notion of “crimes of passion.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The feature didn’t just feel unprecedented within the context of the genre of publication, it felt like a sliver of hope in a week when it was hard to muster any. Again: that men with a national platform are trying to teach other men how to not be abusive shouldn’t come as a surprise in 2021, but somehow it still does. And the reason for that is because, even post-#MeToo, there has remained a pervasive sense that sexual violence and harassment are women’s issues to be spoken about and handled by women. [aside postid='pop_105735']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Men—especially ones with public platforms (the ones who could reach the most people and do the most good)—often seem afraid of saying the wrong thing. Subsequently, they just don’t say anything at all. (Lest we forget that in 2018, even in the midst of the Harvey Weinstein/#MeToo firestorm, the majority of men wearing Time’s Up pins at the Golden Globes and Academy Awards avoided saying anything direct about harassment or assault.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Make no mistake, male allies are what women need right now. It’s what we have needed forever, actually. So men: we’re not there to shut down the degrading conversations about us, but you are. And you’re not there when we’re being harassed because they don’t do that in front of you. (Women are safer traveling with a man, not just because of issues around physical strength, but also because harassers assume a man walking next to a woman has already staked his claim to her. And they accept that over a woman’s right to be left alone.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Women know that the type of men who abuse and harass women are the type of men who only listen to other men. So men, if you’re not doing it already, we need you to talk to one another. We need you to speak to the men who don’t view us as human enough to listen to. We need you to speak to the ones that feel entitled to our time. We need you to speak to the ones that think that yelling at us on the street is all in good fun. And we even need you to speak to the ones that seem kind of scared of us—because sometimes it’s them that end up being the most frightening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If this week has taught us anything, it’s that feminist outrage can be a co-ed sport. And it’s one that we need to keep in season always and forever, moving forward, if anything is ever going to change. “There are very many good men out there,” \u003ca href=\"https://time.com/5159093/eve-ensler-men-need-to-join-the-fight-to-end-violence-against-women/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Eve Ensler\u003c/a> noted during a 2018 video interview with \u003cem>Time\u003c/em>. “The problem is, any violence against women, standing up for women has not become their central issue. And when it does—when they say, ‘This will be my central issue’—the world will change.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Of course, this isn’t the first time men have shown support for women grappling with sexual violence. (\u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/mar/03/james-franco-accusers-me-too-bandwagon-lawsuit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Not all of them genuine\u003c/a>, unfortunately.) But there are signs—across the pond, at least—that a sea change might be occurring. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On March 8, the UK edition of \u003cem>GQ\u003c/em> published an in-depth article about Britain’s “\u003ca href=\"https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/gq-hype/article/domestic-abuse-lockdown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">domestic abuse crisis\u003c/a>.” Not only was it an unlikely subject for a mainstream men’s magazine, it wasn’t afraid to lay the bulk of the responsibility for soaring rates of intimate partner violence squarely at the feet of men. The wider culture that perpetuates misogyny didn’t get off lightly either.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s more, the story was exhaustive, featuring extensive statistics, interviews with survivors, a guide to \u003cem>all\u003c/em> behavior that should be acknowledged as abusive (including coercion), plus a list titled the “Eight Stages of Abuse.” George Chesterton’s essay even took the time to debunk old myths about violence against women, in particular the notion of “crimes of passion.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The feature didn’t just feel unprecedented within the context of the genre of publication, it felt like a sliver of hope in a week when it was hard to muster any. Again: that men with a national platform are trying to teach other men how to not be abusive shouldn’t come as a surprise in 2021, but somehow it still does. And the reason for that is because, even post-#MeToo, there has remained a pervasive sense that sexual violence and harassment are women’s issues to be spoken about and handled by women. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Men—especially ones with public platforms (the ones who could reach the most people and do the most good)—often seem afraid of saying the wrong thing. Subsequently, they just don’t say anything at all. (Lest we forget that in 2018, even in the midst of the Harvey Weinstein/#MeToo firestorm, the majority of men wearing Time’s Up pins at the Golden Globes and Academy Awards avoided saying anything direct about harassment or assault.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Make no mistake, male allies are what women need right now. It’s what we have needed forever, actually. So men: we’re not there to shut down the degrading conversations about us, but you are. And you’re not there when we’re being harassed because they don’t do that in front of you. (Women are safer traveling with a man, not just because of issues around physical strength, but also because harassers assume a man walking next to a woman has already staked his claim to her. And they accept that over a woman’s right to be left alone.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Women know that the type of men who abuse and harass women are the type of men who only listen to other men. So men, if you’re not doing it already, we need you to talk to one another. We need you to speak to the men who don’t view us as human enough to listen to. We need you to speak to the ones that feel entitled to our time. We need you to speak to the ones that think that yelling at us on the street is all in good fun. And we even need you to speak to the ones that seem kind of scared of us—because sometimes it’s them that end up being the most frightening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If this week has taught us anything, it’s that feminist outrage can be a co-ed sport. And it’s one that we need to keep in season always and forever, moving forward, if anything is ever going to change. “There are very many good men out there,” \u003ca href=\"https://time.com/5159093/eve-ensler-men-need-to-join-the-fight-to-end-violence-against-women/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Eve Ensler\u003c/a> noted during a 2018 video interview with \u003cem>Time\u003c/em>. “The problem is, any violence against women, standing up for women has not become their central issue. And when it does—when they say, ‘This will be my central issue’—the world will change.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "After Oprah Interview, Harry and Meghan Slammed by British Press",
"headTitle": "After Oprah Interview, Harry and Meghan Slammed by British Press | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Over 17 million people tuned into CBS Sunday night to watch Oprah Winfrey interview Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. And the content—while not entirely unfiltered (names were mostly not named)—was littered with bombshells.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most shocking was the revelation that at least one senior royal family member expressed “concerns” about how dark baby Archie’s skin might be. Most heart-wrenching was watching Meghan recall “begging” her extended family for mental health assistance and being denied, despite feeling suicidal in a manner that was “very clear and real and frightening.” Then there was Harry’s casual mention of the fact that his father, Prince Charles—the next king—had at one point stopped taking his phone calls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The response on this side of the Atlantic was decisive and consistently positive. “This wasn’t just celebrity gossip,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-features/harry-meghan-oprah-interview-recap-1138184/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Rolling Stone\u003c/em> concluded\u003c/a>, “but a story about mental health, about institutionalized racism and inertia, and about how images … can lie.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CNN’s \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/abbydphillip/status/1368747295215263744\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Abby Philip\u003c/a>, author \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/rgay/status/1368790522760892418\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Roxane Gay\u003c/a>, poet \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/TheAmandaGorman/status/1368770442916335617\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amanda Gorman\u003c/a> and \u003cem>The View\u003c/em>‘s \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/ananavarro/status/1368958716419117056\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ana Navarro-Cárdenas\u003c/a>—among many others—all spoke out in support. Meghan’s friend Serena Williams noted in a statement on Twitter: “The mental health consequences of systemic oppression and victimization are devastating, isolating and all too often lethal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/serenawilliams/status/1368782412356984832\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even the White House weighed in:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/nowthisnews/status/1368972851483643905\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of which leaves America with the overwhelming impression that this was a slam-dunk; a triumph in which Harry and Meghan spoke their truth, explained exactly why their lives in England weren’t working and won a moral victory against the royal family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The press in Britain, however, has been telling a different story entirely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before the interview had even aired, papers were working overtime to make Harry and Meghan look petty and cruel for finally speaking out. The day before the CBS broadcast, the\u003cem> Daily Mirror\u003c/em>‘s front page focused on the “immense sadness” and “anguish” the interview was apparently causing Harry’s father and brother. It also claimed that Charles and William had made “attempts to heal the rift.” (Something later contradicted by Harry’s version of events.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/rjmyers/status/1368689475900047362\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That same day, \u003cem>Sky News\u003c/em>‘ royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/SkyRhiannon/status/1368628779753627657\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">tweeted\u003c/a>: “One palace insider said to me in some ways it’s hard to understand why Harry and Meghan have done this interview when they have their new home, baby on the way, lucrative deals ‘when the war is over it’s probably best to stop bombing’ they said. Tonight we brace for the impact.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also on Saturday, \u003ca href=\"https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/14264111/meghan-markle-never-return-britain-royal-family-oprah/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>The Sun\u003c/em>\u003c/a> went even further, in a story that claimed: “Windsor Castle and Palace staff have dubbed the chat ‘Moperah’ after seeing whingey” previews. The article went on: “Royal staff described Prince Harry as Meghan Markle’s ‘hostage’ before the couple left for a new life in the States, it emerged last night.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though initially about the upcoming interview, the focus of \u003cem>The Sun\u003c/em>‘s story quickly shifted to claims that Meghan bullied palace staff:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Meghan was said to be furious that embroidered blankets as gifts for the guests were not the correct shade of red. Staff at the time have accused Meghan of being ‘genuinely unkind’ to workers. Others are said to be furious that unfounded allegations of racism could stick in their new careers.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The narrative in which Meghan is presented as a cruel and bullying tyrant is currently so present across all U.K. media that citizens are showing signs of fatigue:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/sarahlethbridge/status/1367018815310221316\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The host of \u003cem>Good Morning Britain\u003c/em>, Piers Morgan, made his views on Meghan abundantly clear after the above discussion aired:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/piersmorgan/status/1368789384410042372\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That was all before the interview had even aired. [aside postid='arts_13878920']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Regardless of what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told Oprah, the U.K.’s tabloids were never going to respond favorably or sympathetically. Harry and Meghan’s recent lawsuits against three of Britain’s most popular newspapers—\u003cem>The Sun\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Daily Mirror\u003c/em> over alleged incidents of phone hacking, and a privacy case the couple \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/world/europe/meghan-markle-privacy-mail-on-sunday.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">just won\u003c/a> against the \u003cem>Daily Mail\u003c/em>‘s Sunday edition—did not set them up for positive coverage. Neither did the couple’s choice to publicly instate a “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13878920/meghan-and-harry-take-stonewalling-uk-tabloids-to-a-new-level\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">zero engagement\u003c/a>” policy against those three papers, plus the \u003cem>Daily Express\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the tone was set years ago in the way that the British press has always \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13866072/the-bullying-of-meghan-markle-continues-a-long-tradition-for-royal-wives\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">singled out and attacked\u003c/a> the newest—and usually most popular—member of the royal family. It happened to Harry’s mother, Diana. And to his aunt, Sarah Ferguson. And before Meghan came along, the press had reveled in mocking both Kate Middleton and Harry’s ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy. Meghan would have been subject to the cruel whims of Britain’s daily tabloids whether the couple had sued them or not. It certainly would have happened regardless of them sitting down with Oprah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For decades, the U.K. tabloids have acted with impunity when it comes to the royal family. In 1992, \u003cem>The Sun\u003c/em> acquired, and leaked, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squidgygate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">personal phone conversations\u003c/a> between Harry’s mother, Diana and her friend, James Gilbey. In 1993, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sunday_People\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>The People\u003c/em>\u003c/a> shared an \u003ca href=\"https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/how-camillagate-tapes-exposed-secret-10958350\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">explicit phone conversation\u003c/a> between Camilla Parker Bowles and Prince Charles from 1989, when he was still married to Diana. Despite the national scandal and humiliation caused by both recordings, no legal action was ever taken against the papers. That was due in part to the royal family’s unofficial motto: “Never complain, never explain.” But it left some outlets with the impression that, when it came to the royal family, no report was too violating. [aside postid='arts_13875053']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harry spent part of his time with Oprah lifting the lid off the toxic relationship between his family and the press in his home country. “I am acutely aware of where my family stands and how scared they are of the tabloids turning on them,” Harry told Oprah. “There is this … invisible contract between the institution and the U.K. tabloids. To simplify, if you as a family member are willing to wine, dine and give full access to these reporters, then you are able to get better press.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a foregone conclusion then, that the U.K. papers would be quick to find fault with Harry and Meghan’s interview, no matter what it contained. And it did, to the point of near-revelry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9336731/I-naive-marrying-Harry-says-Meghan-bombshell-Oprah-interview-gets-underway.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Daily Mail\u003c/em>\u003c/a> asked three “royal experts” to weigh in. The conclusions were, across the board, entirely negative. Russell Myers said Harry and Meghan’s “lack of awareness is breath-taking.” Angela Levin opined, “They have no emotional intelligence.” And Robert Jobson called the interview “self-indulgent and selfish,” and unconvincingly suggested that it was unfair because “the Monarchy can’t fight back.” [aside postid='arts_13866072']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The\u003cem> Daily Express—\u003c/em>arguably Britain’s most fervently pro-monarchy newspaper—led their coverage with \u003ca href=\"https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1406914/meghan-markle-prince-harry-oprah-winfrey-interview-itv-watch-royal-family-twitter-ont\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the headline\u003c/a>: “Meghan Markle and Harry blasted by Twitter users over Oprah interview—‘Kind of stupid’.” \u003ca href=\"https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/u-k-press-has-hysterical-reaction-to-oprah-winfreys-interview-with-meghan-markle-and-prince-harry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Piers Morgan said\u003c/a> on \u003cem>Good Morning Britain \u003c/em>that Harry was guilty of “spray-gunning his entire family on global TV.” And \u003ca href=\"https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2021/03/07/meghan-can-learn-mrs-simpsons-tell-all-tv-interview/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>The Telegraph\u003c/em>\u003c/a> compared Meghan unfavorably to Wallis Simpson, for whom Edward VIII abandoned the throne in 1936. “The saddest thing,” the paper reported, “is that Wallis and Edward, despite being banished, were dutiful and patriotic to the end.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If Harry and Meghan are being undutiful, the content of the Oprah interview explains exactly why—it was a matter of survival, and one that, in the end, could not be avoided. Their new lives in the U.S. are an inconvenience and an embarrassment not just for the royal family, but also for the U.K. tabloid press. Both of those historic institutions are giants accustomed to getting their own way. That Harry and Meghan have ditched them both for sunnier pastures will be the subject of bad press for years to come. That they just talked so openly about it is an indication that they no longer care.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "The outpouring of U.S. support for the couple was matched only by British fury—the reasons are more complex than you might think.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Over 17 million people tuned into CBS Sunday night to watch Oprah Winfrey interview Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. And the content—while not entirely unfiltered (names were mostly not named)—was littered with bombshells.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most shocking was the revelation that at least one senior royal family member expressed “concerns” about how dark baby Archie’s skin might be. Most heart-wrenching was watching Meghan recall “begging” her extended family for mental health assistance and being denied, despite feeling suicidal in a manner that was “very clear and real and frightening.” Then there was Harry’s casual mention of the fact that his father, Prince Charles—the next king—had at one point stopped taking his phone calls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The response on this side of the Atlantic was decisive and consistently positive. “This wasn’t just celebrity gossip,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-features/harry-meghan-oprah-interview-recap-1138184/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Rolling Stone\u003c/em> concluded\u003c/a>, “but a story about mental health, about institutionalized racism and inertia, and about how images … can lie.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CNN’s \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/abbydphillip/status/1368747295215263744\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Abby Philip\u003c/a>, author \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/rgay/status/1368790522760892418\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Roxane Gay\u003c/a>, poet \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/TheAmandaGorman/status/1368770442916335617\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Amanda Gorman\u003c/a> and \u003cem>The View\u003c/em>‘s \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/ananavarro/status/1368958716419117056\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ana Navarro-Cárdenas\u003c/a>—among many others—all spoke out in support. Meghan’s friend Serena Williams noted in a statement on Twitter: “The mental health consequences of systemic oppression and victimization are devastating, isolating and all too often lethal.”\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>All of which leaves America with the overwhelming impression that this was a slam-dunk; a triumph in which Harry and Meghan spoke their truth, explained exactly why their lives in England weren’t working and won a moral victory against the royal family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The press in Britain, however, has been telling a different story entirely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before the interview had even aired, papers were working overtime to make Harry and Meghan look petty and cruel for finally speaking out. The day before the CBS broadcast, the\u003cem> Daily Mirror\u003c/em>‘s front page focused on the “immense sadness” and “anguish” the interview was apparently causing Harry’s father and brother. It also claimed that Charles and William had made “attempts to heal the rift.” (Something later contradicted by Harry’s version of events.)\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>That same day, \u003cem>Sky News\u003c/em>‘ royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/SkyRhiannon/status/1368628779753627657\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">tweeted\u003c/a>: “One palace insider said to me in some ways it’s hard to understand why Harry and Meghan have done this interview when they have their new home, baby on the way, lucrative deals ‘when the war is over it’s probably best to stop bombing’ they said. Tonight we brace for the impact.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also on Saturday, \u003ca href=\"https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/14264111/meghan-markle-never-return-britain-royal-family-oprah/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>The Sun\u003c/em>\u003c/a> went even further, in a story that claimed: “Windsor Castle and Palace staff have dubbed the chat ‘Moperah’ after seeing whingey” previews. The article went on: “Royal staff described Prince Harry as Meghan Markle’s ‘hostage’ before the couple left for a new life in the States, it emerged last night.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though initially about the upcoming interview, the focus of \u003cem>The Sun\u003c/em>‘s story quickly shifted to claims that Meghan bullied palace staff:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Meghan was said to be furious that embroidered blankets as gifts for the guests were not the correct shade of red. Staff at the time have accused Meghan of being ‘genuinely unkind’ to workers. Others are said to be furious that unfounded allegations of racism could stick in their new careers.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The narrative in which Meghan is presented as a cruel and bullying tyrant is currently so present across all U.K. media that citizens are showing signs of fatigue:\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>The host of \u003cem>Good Morning Britain\u003c/em>, Piers Morgan, made his views on Meghan abundantly clear after the above discussion aired:\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>That was all before the interview had even aired. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Regardless of what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told Oprah, the U.K.’s tabloids were never going to respond favorably or sympathetically. Harry and Meghan’s recent lawsuits against three of Britain’s most popular newspapers—\u003cem>The Sun\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Daily Mirror\u003c/em> over alleged incidents of phone hacking, and a privacy case the couple \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/world/europe/meghan-markle-privacy-mail-on-sunday.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">just won\u003c/a> against the \u003cem>Daily Mail\u003c/em>‘s Sunday edition—did not set them up for positive coverage. Neither did the couple’s choice to publicly instate a “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13878920/meghan-and-harry-take-stonewalling-uk-tabloids-to-a-new-level\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">zero engagement\u003c/a>” policy against those three papers, plus the \u003cem>Daily Express\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the tone was set years ago in the way that the British press has always \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13866072/the-bullying-of-meghan-markle-continues-a-long-tradition-for-royal-wives\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">singled out and attacked\u003c/a> the newest—and usually most popular—member of the royal family. It happened to Harry’s mother, Diana. And to his aunt, Sarah Ferguson. And before Meghan came along, the press had reveled in mocking both Kate Middleton and Harry’s ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy. Meghan would have been subject to the cruel whims of Britain’s daily tabloids whether the couple had sued them or not. It certainly would have happened regardless of them sitting down with Oprah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For decades, the U.K. tabloids have acted with impunity when it comes to the royal family. In 1992, \u003cem>The Sun\u003c/em> acquired, and leaked, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squidgygate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">personal phone conversations\u003c/a> between Harry’s mother, Diana and her friend, James Gilbey. In 1993, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sunday_People\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>The People\u003c/em>\u003c/a> shared an \u003ca href=\"https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/how-camillagate-tapes-exposed-secret-10958350\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">explicit phone conversation\u003c/a> between Camilla Parker Bowles and Prince Charles from 1989, when he was still married to Diana. Despite the national scandal and humiliation caused by both recordings, no legal action was ever taken against the papers. That was due in part to the royal family’s unofficial motto: “Never complain, never explain.” But it left some outlets with the impression that, when it came to the royal family, no report was too violating. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Harry spent part of his time with Oprah lifting the lid off the toxic relationship between his family and the press in his home country. “I am acutely aware of where my family stands and how scared they are of the tabloids turning on them,” Harry told Oprah. “There is this … invisible contract between the institution and the U.K. tabloids. To simplify, if you as a family member are willing to wine, dine and give full access to these reporters, then you are able to get better press.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a foregone conclusion then, that the U.K. papers would be quick to find fault with Harry and Meghan’s interview, no matter what it contained. And it did, to the point of near-revelry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9336731/I-naive-marrying-Harry-says-Meghan-bombshell-Oprah-interview-gets-underway.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Daily Mail\u003c/em>\u003c/a> asked three “royal experts” to weigh in. The conclusions were, across the board, entirely negative. Russell Myers said Harry and Meghan’s “lack of awareness is breath-taking.” Angela Levin opined, “They have no emotional intelligence.” And Robert Jobson called the interview “self-indulgent and selfish,” and unconvincingly suggested that it was unfair because “the Monarchy can’t fight back.” \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The\u003cem> Daily Express—\u003c/em>arguably Britain’s most fervently pro-monarchy newspaper—led their coverage with \u003ca href=\"https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1406914/meghan-markle-prince-harry-oprah-winfrey-interview-itv-watch-royal-family-twitter-ont\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the headline\u003c/a>: “Meghan Markle and Harry blasted by Twitter users over Oprah interview—‘Kind of stupid’.” \u003ca href=\"https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/u-k-press-has-hysterical-reaction-to-oprah-winfreys-interview-with-meghan-markle-and-prince-harry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Piers Morgan said\u003c/a> on \u003cem>Good Morning Britain \u003c/em>that Harry was guilty of “spray-gunning his entire family on global TV.” And \u003ca href=\"https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2021/03/07/meghan-can-learn-mrs-simpsons-tell-all-tv-interview/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>The Telegraph\u003c/em>\u003c/a> compared Meghan unfavorably to Wallis Simpson, for whom Edward VIII abandoned the throne in 1936. “The saddest thing,” the paper reported, “is that Wallis and Edward, despite being banished, were dutiful and patriotic to the end.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If Harry and Meghan are being undutiful, the content of the Oprah interview explains exactly why—it was a matter of survival, and one that, in the end, could not be avoided. Their new lives in the U.S. are an inconvenience and an embarrassment not just for the royal family, but also for the U.K. tabloid press. Both of those historic institutions are giants accustomed to getting their own way. That Harry and Meghan have ditched them both for sunnier pastures will be the subject of bad press for years to come. That they just talked so openly about it is an indication that they no longer care.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "The Black Panther Party and the Rev. Cheryl Dawson",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">T\u003c/span>he sun shined down on West Oakland last Wednesday as I was greeted with a warm, welcoming, COVID-cautious elbow bump from Ericka Huggins.\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-13833985\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_-160x184.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"184\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_-160x184.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_.jpg 180w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Huggins, the former director of the Black Panther Party’s Oakland Community School, stood masked among a scattered crowd of people on the 1.3-mile stretch of greenway that bisects Mandela Parkway in West Oakland. It’s here that the Cypress Structure collapsed in the ’89 quake—and also where two months prior in that same year, Black Panther Party cofounder Dr. Huey P. Newton was shot and killed just a few blocks away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yet—as I overheard one person say during Wednesday’s gathering—“this isn’t where he died, this is where he \u003cem>lived\u003c/em>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last Wednesday, Feb. 17, would’ve been Dr. Newton’s 79th birthday. To help celebrate were newly minted street signs on a three-block section of 9th Street, now officially rechristened Dr. Huey P. Newton Way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After Fredrika Newton, Dr. Newton’s widow and president of the \u003ca href=\"https://hueypnewtonfoundation.org/\">Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation\u003c/a>, ceremoniously removed the cloth that covered the new street sign on 9th Street and Mandela Parkway, the crowd made its way to the intersection of 9th and Center Streets. That’s where a freshly painted mural dedicated to the women of the Black Panther Party now radiates from the broad side of a two-story Victorian home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13893058\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13893058\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/IMG_3053-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"A two-story home on Center street and 9th street in West Oakland is now home to a mural dedicated to the women of the Black Panther Party. Artwork by Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith. \" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/IMG_3053-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/IMG_3053-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/IMG_3053-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/IMG_3053-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/IMG_3053.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A two-story home on Center street and 9th Street in West Oakland is now home to a mural dedicated to the women of the Black Panther Party. Artwork by Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Lead artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/wolfe_.pack/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith\u003c/a> worked with other artists and community members on \u003ca href=\"https://linktr.ee/westoaklandmuralproject\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the #SayHerName: Women of the Black Panther Party Mural Project\u003c/a>, an initiative spearheaded by homeowner \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/missjilie/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">JiLchristina Vest\u003c/a> that honors the names of the largely overlooked women of the Black Panther Party. Towering images of women supplying groceries and carrying guns, drawn from photos taken by \u003ca href=\"https://stephenshames.com/projects/black-panther-party/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephen Shames\u003c/a>, are accompanied by the written names of over 250 women—all former Panthers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There aren’t that many public displays honoring the Black Panthers in Oakland. The new mural and street signs join a meager collection: a \u003ca href=\"https://localwiki.org/oakland/Black_Panther_Party\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">small sign\u003c/a> on the corner of 55th and Market Streets, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13851520/rightnowish-refa-one-spraypaint-in-hand-honors-west-oaklands-history\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">mural\u003c/a> on 14th and Peralta Streets, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.merritt.edu/student-life/hue-p-newton-lounge/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Huey P. Newton Lounge\u003c/a> at Merritt College and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2018/04/06/600055767/bobby-hutton-the-killing-that-catapulted-the-black-panthers-to-fame\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lil Bobby Hutton Grove\u003c/a> in DeFremery Park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But countless Panther flags, shirts, and tattoos on the skin of the people in this community all stand as evidence of a widely-known fact: this is Panther territory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13893145\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13893145\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/FreeHuey.Black_.Panthers-800x524.jpg\" alt=\"Two men hold a 'Free Huey' banner at the newly christened Huey P. Newton Way in West Oakland, Feb. 17, 2021. \" width=\"800\" height=\"524\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/FreeHuey.Black_.Panthers-800x524.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/FreeHuey.Black_.Panthers-1020x668.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/FreeHuey.Black_.Panthers-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/FreeHuey.Black_.Panthers-768x503.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/FreeHuey.Black_.Panthers-1536x1006.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/FreeHuey.Black_.Panthers.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Two men hold a ‘Free Huey’ banner at the newly christened Huey P. Newton Way in West Oakland, Feb. 17, 2021. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">E\u003c/span>ven beyond Oakland’s city limits, the Black Panther Party is once again in the larger public consciousness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shaka King’s recently released film \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13892640/director-shaka-kings-long-journey-to-judas-and-the-black-messiah\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003ci>Judas and the Black Messiah\u003c/i>\u003c/a> has reinvigorated people’s interest in the life, politics, and assassination of the Illinois Black Panther Party chapter’s chairman, Fred Hampton. (The film is told from the perspective of William O’Neal, the informant who assisted the FBI in bringing Hampton down.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But well before \u003cem>Judas and the Black Messiah\u003c/em>, and the murals and new signage in Oakland, the legacy of the Party and the individuals involved has long been a personal interest of mine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I once held back childlike excitement when Ericka Huggins and archivist Lisbet Tellefsen allowed me to look through the \u003ca href=\"https://archive.curbed.com/2016/6/29/12010106/black-panther-school-mova-oakland\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">old photos of the Black Panther’s Oakland Community School\u003c/a>. And I defeated pterodactyl-sized stomach butterflies of nervousness before asking Fredrika Newton \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13874735/fredrika-newton-huey-p-revolutionary-love\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">intimate questions about her relationship with Dr. Newton\u003c/a>.[aside postID='arts_13874735']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve talked to educational counselor and former Panther\u003ca href=\"https://ogtoldme.tumblr.com/post/68941837393/sometimes-we-devalue-ourselves-we-dont-really\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Massai Minters\u003c/a> at UCLA’s Campbell Hall where Bunchy Carter and John Huggins were assassinated, attended an event at Merritt College where famed Black Panther Party illustrator \u003ca href=\"https://ogtoldme.tumblr.com/post/77494359367/culture-is-a-weapon-emory-douglas-emory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Emory Douglas\u003c/a> spoke about his book \u003cem>Black Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas\u003c/em>, and even sat in a small apartment with a sick \u003ca href=\"https://ogtoldme.tumblr.com/post/49263235572/when-asked-what-guidance-he-would-give-to-a-young\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ronald “Elder” Freeman\u003c/a>, discussing how to address the ills of society while simultaneously looking for his medicine. Elder has since passed, but his words linger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Through these interactions, as well as reading books and watching documentaries, I’ve gained a certain understanding about the Panthers: terrorized by the government, stigmatized by the media, and loved by the people (well, \u003cem>some\u003c/em> of the people). The Panthers fought to save their community from the failures of a capitalist system, while simultaneously dealing with their own personal issues—issues that were largely the byproducts of a capitalist system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beyond the legacy of the Black Panther Party as a whole, I often think about the stories of the individual people involved. People whose stories haven’t been fully told. People like the Rev. Cheryl Dawson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13893142\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13893142\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.2021-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"Rev. Cheryl Dawson.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.2021-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.2021-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.2021-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.2021-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.2021.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Rev. Cheryl Dawson. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Cheryl Dawson.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">“I\u003c/span> took the political structure that I learned in the Party, and combined it with the information that I had about womanist theory and I took that work to the Congo—the Democratic Republic of the Congo—did I tell you about that?” Dawson asks me over the phone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I tell her that during our two previous conversations she hadn’t mentioned that, so I’m glad she called back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She tells me that about a decade ago she led empowerment workshops with women in Uganda and Haiti as well, using principles she developed when she was selling copies of the Black Panther Party newspaper on the corner of Alcatraz Avenue and Adeline Street in Berkeley back in the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an earlier conversation, she mentions another chapter in her life that was also heavily influenced by her time with the Party.[aside postID='arts_13884294']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starting in the early ’80s Dawson worked in and out of prisons, developing programs for women who are incarcerated. She spent the final decade of her career working as the Rehabilitation Services Coordinator in the San Francisco County Sheriff Office’s Women’s Resource Center. That’s where she implemented a curriculum to empower women through lectures, through the use of popular media to inspire critical thinking, and by asking class attendees to reflect on “\u003ca href=\"http://ww.sfsheriff.com/newsletter_june2017.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">their own cultural experiences and injustices\u003c/a>”. Upon leaving her position last year, the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department honored her commitment to the work by naming Dec. 20 “Rev. Cheryl Dawson Day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I couldn’t help but wonder: \u003ci>How do you pivot from working for a revolutionary liberation organization to working for the very institution that incarcerates people?\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was working in the same sacred spaces,” explains Dawson. “The same tight corners, the same buried holes in the ground that I had tested, and walked in, and helped raise people up from when I was working in the Party … The pain that women wore in the prison is the same pain that I saw in the community from which they had come.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Simply put, Dawson saw the position as an opportunity to get deeper into the system and make a change from within.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13893149\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13893149\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.1970s.jpg\" alt=\"Cheryl Dawson in the 1970s. \" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.1970s.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.1970s-160x213.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cheryl Dawson in the 1980s. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Rev. Cheryl Dawson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As a consultant at the federal prison in Dublin, she recalls sitting outside of solitary confinement, kneeling down on the cement floor, and talking through the slit in the steel door where the food was passed through. “I was trying to get a glimpse of the woman I was talking to,” says Dawson. “To just hold her gaze for a moment and try to give her hope for tomorrow.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She did this work while continuing to face “that same deep intimate pain” that she experienced as a young girl; the pain that pushed her to join the Party in the first place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a child, Dawson lived in \u003ca href=\"https://universityvillage.berkeley.edu/about/village-history\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Codornices Village\u003c/a>, a housing project on land leased from UC Berkeley to house wartime workers and their families in the 40s, many of them African American. It’s no coincidence that in the 1960s, when the housing projects were closed and the property was returned to UC Berkeley, \u003ca href=\"http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/cities/Albany50.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the “Negro” population\u003c/a> of Albany went from 1,778 people in 1950 down to just 75 people in 1960.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Afterward, Dawson spent some time in Oakland, but Berkeley was her home. She lived one block to the white side of the city’s racial housing dividing line, formerly known as Grove street (now Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Berkeley’s Longfellow Elementary School, despite being in the Black neighborhood of South Berkeley, she saw racism firsthand. In class, Dawson says, she and the other Black kids were routinely overlooked when they raised their hands and over-punished when they got in trouble.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13893150\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13893150\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.Wicker.jpg\" alt=\"Cheryl Dawson in the 1970s.\" width=\"600\" height=\"832\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.Wicker.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.Wicker-160x222.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cheryl Dawson in the 1970s. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Rev. Cheryl Dawson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She says a brother as dark as she was once got in trouble, and a white teacher grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and put him under one of those old-fashioned wooden desks. The teacher then sat down and scooted her chair in. “She pinned him in like he was a dog or cat or something,” says Dawson. “The only thing he could do is look out from under the desk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The memory of the disobedient boy and the heavy-handed punishment stuck with her. Shortly afterward she learned about social workers, and how they helped people; especially people who looked like her. “At a very young age,” says Dawson, “I had a desire to do that, it was stamped in my heart. Unbeknownst to me, it would continue to manifest for the remainder of my life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She went on to attend Willard Junior High, which was much whiter, and well above the racial dividing line. After attending Berkeley High for the majority of her high school years, she graduated from Oakland Tech and went on to Cal State East Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While she was in college, Dawson was invited to an event at Oakland City College where Black Panther Party for Self-Defense co-founder Bobby Seale was speaking. And the rest was history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13893143\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13893143\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson-800x532.jpg\" alt=\"Cheryl Dawson, seen here with her family.\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson-1020x678.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson-768x510.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson-1536x1021.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cheryl Dawson, seen here with her children. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Cheryl Dawson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">R\u003c/span>ev. Dawson has no issue discussing details of her time in the Party, like bundling up her infant daughter at the early hour of “can’t see in the morning” so they could get to the Panther headquarters, serve the people and take political classes, only to return home at “can’t see at night.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But what stands out from our conversation is Dawson periodically pausing to ask her grandchildren to “be careful while you’re doing that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Community service starts at home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dawson tells me she’s inspired by her great uncle, who left the south on a flatbed truck after being chased by the Klan. Once he settled in California, he sent for his sister, Dawson’s grandmother. Not too long after arriving in the Bay Area, Dawson’s grandmother and grandfather were wed through a marriage broker in West Oakland.[aside postID='arts_13825847']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking highly of her four children, Dawson proudly mentions that two of her sons chose to change their names upon adulthood in an effort to shed their slave names.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dawson holds a master’s degree in womanist theology from the American Baptist Seminary at UC Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union, as well as an M.A. in women’s spirituality from San Francisco’s California Institute of Integral Studies. She was ordained as a reverend about five years ago, at the same place she served: the historic Beth Eden Baptist Church in West Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She tells me she just recently returned to the church, as nowadays spends most of her time with the grandchildren I heard in the background on our calls. And of course, she plans to take them to see the new mural featuring images of her comrades in West Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The mural brings us from the margins to the center,” says Dawson of the artwork’s significance. “To turn the light on and say: I see you. And to further extend my view of connectivity and say, ‘I see you, because you are me.’ Just that alone is life-saving. And that’s what we were about in the Party: \u003cem>saving the lives of our people.\u003c/em>”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Rev. Cheryl Dawson recently spoke about her experiences with the Black Panther Party on the KQED podcast The Bay. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11858928/west-oakland-mural-honors-women-of-black-panther-party\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hear it here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>As part of ‘The Black Panther Party Celebration of Activism,’ Pendarvis Harshaw interviews Ryan Coogler, Marshawn Lynch, Marcus Roberts, Charles D. King and Josh Johnson, to be broadcast on Facebook Live and YouTube on Wednesday, Feb. 24, at noon PST. \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandrootssc.com/news_article/show/1146959\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">T\u003c/span>he sun shined down on West Oakland last Wednesday as I was greeted with a warm, welcoming, COVID-cautious elbow bump from Ericka Huggins.\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-13833985\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_-160x184.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"160\" height=\"184\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_-160x184.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/05/OGPenn.Cap_.jpg 180w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Huggins, the former director of the Black Panther Party’s Oakland Community School, stood masked among a scattered crowd of people on the 1.3-mile stretch of greenway that bisects Mandela Parkway in West Oakland. It’s here that the Cypress Structure collapsed in the ’89 quake—and also where two months prior in that same year, Black Panther Party cofounder Dr. Huey P. Newton was shot and killed just a few blocks away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yet—as I overheard one person say during Wednesday’s gathering—“this isn’t where he died, this is where he \u003cem>lived\u003c/em>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last Wednesday, Feb. 17, would’ve been Dr. Newton’s 79th birthday. To help celebrate were newly minted street signs on a three-block section of 9th Street, now officially rechristened Dr. Huey P. Newton Way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After Fredrika Newton, Dr. Newton’s widow and president of the \u003ca href=\"https://hueypnewtonfoundation.org/\">Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation\u003c/a>, ceremoniously removed the cloth that covered the new street sign on 9th Street and Mandela Parkway, the crowd made its way to the intersection of 9th and Center Streets. That’s where a freshly painted mural dedicated to the women of the Black Panther Party now radiates from the broad side of a two-story Victorian home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13893058\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13893058\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/IMG_3053-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"A two-story home on Center street and 9th street in West Oakland is now home to a mural dedicated to the women of the Black Panther Party. Artwork by Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith. \" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/IMG_3053-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/IMG_3053-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/IMG_3053-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/IMG_3053-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/IMG_3053.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A two-story home on Center street and 9th Street in West Oakland is now home to a mural dedicated to the women of the Black Panther Party. Artwork by Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Lead artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/wolfe_.pack/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith\u003c/a> worked with other artists and community members on \u003ca href=\"https://linktr.ee/westoaklandmuralproject\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the #SayHerName: Women of the Black Panther Party Mural Project\u003c/a>, an initiative spearheaded by homeowner \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/missjilie/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">JiLchristina Vest\u003c/a> that honors the names of the largely overlooked women of the Black Panther Party. Towering images of women supplying groceries and carrying guns, drawn from photos taken by \u003ca href=\"https://stephenshames.com/projects/black-panther-party/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephen Shames\u003c/a>, are accompanied by the written names of over 250 women—all former Panthers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There aren’t that many public displays honoring the Black Panthers in Oakland. The new mural and street signs join a meager collection: a \u003ca href=\"https://localwiki.org/oakland/Black_Panther_Party\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">small sign\u003c/a> on the corner of 55th and Market Streets, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13851520/rightnowish-refa-one-spraypaint-in-hand-honors-west-oaklands-history\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">mural\u003c/a> on 14th and Peralta Streets, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.merritt.edu/student-life/hue-p-newton-lounge/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Huey P. Newton Lounge\u003c/a> at Merritt College and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2018/04/06/600055767/bobby-hutton-the-killing-that-catapulted-the-black-panthers-to-fame\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lil Bobby Hutton Grove\u003c/a> in DeFremery Park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But countless Panther flags, shirts, and tattoos on the skin of the people in this community all stand as evidence of a widely-known fact: this is Panther territory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13893145\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13893145\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/FreeHuey.Black_.Panthers-800x524.jpg\" alt=\"Two men hold a 'Free Huey' banner at the newly christened Huey P. Newton Way in West Oakland, Feb. 17, 2021. \" width=\"800\" height=\"524\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/FreeHuey.Black_.Panthers-800x524.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/FreeHuey.Black_.Panthers-1020x668.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/FreeHuey.Black_.Panthers-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/FreeHuey.Black_.Panthers-768x503.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/FreeHuey.Black_.Panthers-1536x1006.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/FreeHuey.Black_.Panthers.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Two men hold a ‘Free Huey’ banner at the newly christened Huey P. Newton Way in West Oakland, Feb. 17, 2021. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">E\u003c/span>ven beyond Oakland’s city limits, the Black Panther Party is once again in the larger public consciousness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shaka King’s recently released film \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13892640/director-shaka-kings-long-journey-to-judas-and-the-black-messiah\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003ci>Judas and the Black Messiah\u003c/i>\u003c/a> has reinvigorated people’s interest in the life, politics, and assassination of the Illinois Black Panther Party chapter’s chairman, Fred Hampton. (The film is told from the perspective of William O’Neal, the informant who assisted the FBI in bringing Hampton down.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But well before \u003cem>Judas and the Black Messiah\u003c/em>, and the murals and new signage in Oakland, the legacy of the Party and the individuals involved has long been a personal interest of mine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I once held back childlike excitement when Ericka Huggins and archivist Lisbet Tellefsen allowed me to look through the \u003ca href=\"https://archive.curbed.com/2016/6/29/12010106/black-panther-school-mova-oakland\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">old photos of the Black Panther’s Oakland Community School\u003c/a>. And I defeated pterodactyl-sized stomach butterflies of nervousness before asking Fredrika Newton \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13874735/fredrika-newton-huey-p-revolutionary-love\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">intimate questions about her relationship with Dr. Newton\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve talked to educational counselor and former Panther\u003ca href=\"https://ogtoldme.tumblr.com/post/68941837393/sometimes-we-devalue-ourselves-we-dont-really\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Massai Minters\u003c/a> at UCLA’s Campbell Hall where Bunchy Carter and John Huggins were assassinated, attended an event at Merritt College where famed Black Panther Party illustrator \u003ca href=\"https://ogtoldme.tumblr.com/post/77494359367/culture-is-a-weapon-emory-douglas-emory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Emory Douglas\u003c/a> spoke about his book \u003cem>Black Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas\u003c/em>, and even sat in a small apartment with a sick \u003ca href=\"https://ogtoldme.tumblr.com/post/49263235572/when-asked-what-guidance-he-would-give-to-a-young\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ronald “Elder” Freeman\u003c/a>, discussing how to address the ills of society while simultaneously looking for his medicine. Elder has since passed, but his words linger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Through these interactions, as well as reading books and watching documentaries, I’ve gained a certain understanding about the Panthers: terrorized by the government, stigmatized by the media, and loved by the people (well, \u003cem>some\u003c/em> of the people). The Panthers fought to save their community from the failures of a capitalist system, while simultaneously dealing with their own personal issues—issues that were largely the byproducts of a capitalist system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beyond the legacy of the Black Panther Party as a whole, I often think about the stories of the individual people involved. People whose stories haven’t been fully told. People like the Rev. Cheryl Dawson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13893142\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13893142\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.2021-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"Rev. Cheryl Dawson.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.2021-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.2021-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.2021-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.2021-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.2021.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Rev. Cheryl Dawson. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Cheryl Dawson.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">“I\u003c/span> took the political structure that I learned in the Party, and combined it with the information that I had about womanist theory and I took that work to the Congo—the Democratic Republic of the Congo—did I tell you about that?” Dawson asks me over the phone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I tell her that during our two previous conversations she hadn’t mentioned that, so I’m glad she called back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She tells me that about a decade ago she led empowerment workshops with women in Uganda and Haiti as well, using principles she developed when she was selling copies of the Black Panther Party newspaper on the corner of Alcatraz Avenue and Adeline Street in Berkeley back in the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an earlier conversation, she mentions another chapter in her life that was also heavily influenced by her time with the Party.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starting in the early ’80s Dawson worked in and out of prisons, developing programs for women who are incarcerated. She spent the final decade of her career working as the Rehabilitation Services Coordinator in the San Francisco County Sheriff Office’s Women’s Resource Center. That’s where she implemented a curriculum to empower women through lectures, through the use of popular media to inspire critical thinking, and by asking class attendees to reflect on “\u003ca href=\"http://ww.sfsheriff.com/newsletter_june2017.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">their own cultural experiences and injustices\u003c/a>”. Upon leaving her position last year, the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department honored her commitment to the work by naming Dec. 20 “Rev. Cheryl Dawson Day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I couldn’t help but wonder: \u003ci>How do you pivot from working for a revolutionary liberation organization to working for the very institution that incarcerates people?\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was working in the same sacred spaces,” explains Dawson. “The same tight corners, the same buried holes in the ground that I had tested, and walked in, and helped raise people up from when I was working in the Party … The pain that women wore in the prison is the same pain that I saw in the community from which they had come.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Simply put, Dawson saw the position as an opportunity to get deeper into the system and make a change from within.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13893149\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13893149\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.1970s.jpg\" alt=\"Cheryl Dawson in the 1970s. \" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.1970s.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.1970s-160x213.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cheryl Dawson in the 1980s. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Rev. Cheryl Dawson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As a consultant at the federal prison in Dublin, she recalls sitting outside of solitary confinement, kneeling down on the cement floor, and talking through the slit in the steel door where the food was passed through. “I was trying to get a glimpse of the woman I was talking to,” says Dawson. “To just hold her gaze for a moment and try to give her hope for tomorrow.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She did this work while continuing to face “that same deep intimate pain” that she experienced as a young girl; the pain that pushed her to join the Party in the first place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a child, Dawson lived in \u003ca href=\"https://universityvillage.berkeley.edu/about/village-history\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Codornices Village\u003c/a>, a housing project on land leased from UC Berkeley to house wartime workers and their families in the 40s, many of them African American. It’s no coincidence that in the 1960s, when the housing projects were closed and the property was returned to UC Berkeley, \u003ca href=\"http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/cities/Albany50.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the “Negro” population\u003c/a> of Albany went from 1,778 people in 1950 down to just 75 people in 1960.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Afterward, Dawson spent some time in Oakland, but Berkeley was her home. She lived one block to the white side of the city’s racial housing dividing line, formerly known as Grove street (now Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Berkeley’s Longfellow Elementary School, despite being in the Black neighborhood of South Berkeley, she saw racism firsthand. In class, Dawson says, she and the other Black kids were routinely overlooked when they raised their hands and over-punished when they got in trouble.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13893150\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13893150\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.Wicker.jpg\" alt=\"Cheryl Dawson in the 1970s.\" width=\"600\" height=\"832\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.Wicker.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.Wicker-160x222.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cheryl Dawson in the 1970s. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Rev. Cheryl Dawson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She says a brother as dark as she was once got in trouble, and a white teacher grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and put him under one of those old-fashioned wooden desks. The teacher then sat down and scooted her chair in. “She pinned him in like he was a dog or cat or something,” says Dawson. “The only thing he could do is look out from under the desk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The memory of the disobedient boy and the heavy-handed punishment stuck with her. Shortly afterward she learned about social workers, and how they helped people; especially people who looked like her. “At a very young age,” says Dawson, “I had a desire to do that, it was stamped in my heart. Unbeknownst to me, it would continue to manifest for the remainder of my life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She went on to attend Willard Junior High, which was much whiter, and well above the racial dividing line. After attending Berkeley High for the majority of her high school years, she graduated from Oakland Tech and went on to Cal State East Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While she was in college, Dawson was invited to an event at Oakland City College where Black Panther Party for Self-Defense co-founder Bobby Seale was speaking. And the rest was history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13893143\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13893143\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson-800x532.jpg\" alt=\"Cheryl Dawson, seen here with her family.\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson-1020x678.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson-768x510.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson-1536x1021.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/CherylDawson.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cheryl Dawson, seen here with her children. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Cheryl Dawson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">R\u003c/span>ev. Dawson has no issue discussing details of her time in the Party, like bundling up her infant daughter at the early hour of “can’t see in the morning” so they could get to the Panther headquarters, serve the people and take political classes, only to return home at “can’t see at night.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But what stands out from our conversation is Dawson periodically pausing to ask her grandchildren to “be careful while you’re doing that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Community service starts at home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dawson tells me she’s inspired by her great uncle, who left the south on a flatbed truck after being chased by the Klan. Once he settled in California, he sent for his sister, Dawson’s grandmother. Not too long after arriving in the Bay Area, Dawson’s grandmother and grandfather were wed through a marriage broker in West Oakland.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking highly of her four children, Dawson proudly mentions that two of her sons chose to change their names upon adulthood in an effort to shed their slave names.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dawson holds a master’s degree in womanist theology from the American Baptist Seminary at UC Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union, as well as an M.A. in women’s spirituality from San Francisco’s California Institute of Integral Studies. She was ordained as a reverend about five years ago, at the same place she served: the historic Beth Eden Baptist Church in West Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She tells me she just recently returned to the church, as nowadays spends most of her time with the grandchildren I heard in the background on our calls. And of course, she plans to take them to see the new mural featuring images of her comrades in West Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The mural brings us from the margins to the center,” says Dawson of the artwork’s significance. “To turn the light on and say: I see you. And to further extend my view of connectivity and say, ‘I see you, because you are me.’ Just that alone is life-saving. And that’s what we were about in the Party: \u003cem>saving the lives of our people.\u003c/em>”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Rev. Cheryl Dawson recently spoke about her experiences with the Black Panther Party on the KQED podcast The Bay. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11858928/west-oakland-mural-honors-women-of-black-panther-party\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hear it here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>As part of ‘The Black Panther Party Celebration of Activism,’ Pendarvis Harshaw interviews Ryan Coogler, Marshawn Lynch, Marcus Roberts, Charles D. King and Josh Johnson, to be broadcast on Facebook Live and YouTube on Wednesday, Feb. 24, at noon PST. \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandrootssc.com/news_article/show/1146959\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Finding Acceptance—and Self-Love—in a Naturist Community",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ci>It’s Tuesday morning and my phone is ringing. Before even looking at the screen, I know it’s my sister, Erikka. Every week for the past six months or so, my sister has spent 10 minutes telling me about her weekend escapades. The accounts are adventurous, liberating, and oddly enough, about love.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>My sister, a mother of two, has been through some harrowing experiences. Just about all of the foul things a young woman can be involved in while growing up in the inner city—from selling sex to selling crack—she’s done it. And she’s open about how those experiences have left marks on her, physically, mentally, and emotionally.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Now recently married, my sister’s phone calls aren’t about the pain she’s experienced, and really aren’t about the romantic relationship she and her partner share. They’re more about her discovery of a loving community. And most importantly, her stories are about an East Oakland girl finding self-love near the Santa Cruz Mountains.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Because it’s her story, I figured she’d be the best person to tell it.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>—Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13892748\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13892748\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Erikka.Lake_-800x555.jpg\" alt=\"Erikka Ransom and husband Dom at Lake Merritt in Oakland.\" width=\"800\" height=\"555\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Erikka.Lake_-800x555.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Erikka.Lake_-1020x708.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Erikka.Lake_-160x111.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Erikka.Lake_-768x533.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Erikka.Lake_-1536x1066.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Erikka.Lake_.jpg 1556w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Erikka Ransom and husband Dom at Lake Merritt in Oakland. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Love… We tend to throw the word around like confetti, \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">but it means more and comes with so much responsibility. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I found my love when I was only 15. He was my neighbor, my friend, and the love of my life, even though he didn’t know it yet. We grew up together and separated when both our families moved from the Skyline Hills Apartment complex in the East Oakland hills. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We individually went through a great deal of hurt during our lives. Hard times financially, run-ins with the law, and relationships that scarred us for life.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In adulthood, we talked periodically, remaining good friends. We’d often discuss our relationships, and how they were missing \u003cem>something\u003c/em>. We were both suffering, both missing love.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">My last relationship ended after 11 years—there was no love there for me. His 20-year relationship ended just before mine.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">About four years ago I saw the love of my life again. I was driving down the street near Foothill Square in East Oakland. I had just moved into an apartment in the neighborhood. About a block away from my new home, I saw him outside taking a break from work. I almost left the car in drive as I jumped out! Happiness rushed back into my heart as I remembered love again. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite the pandemic, we married on July 27, 2020. We wanted to be together forever, so much that we held a small ceremony in our backyard, over an iPad, with the Justice of Peace. It was beautiful. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13892739\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13892739\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Erikka.jpg\" alt=\"Erikka Ransom and husband Dom, pictured together.\" width=\"800\" height=\"804\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Erikka.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Erikka-160x161.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Erikka-768x772.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Erikka Ransom and husband Dom, pictured together. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Erikka Ransom)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We’re both lovers of camping; time spent in nature actually helped solidify our relationship. We decided to find a place to enjoy the outdoors during the shelter-in-place orders. But most campsites were closed.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And then we found a place that was unlike any other: \u003ca href=\"https://www.lupinlodge.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lupin Lodge\u003c/a>. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is a community that welcomes newcomers with open arms. We started going in August and we’ve been back every weekend, just because of the love we feel. The first day we were there, people invited us to eat with them, and asked if we needed anything. They even recited poems just to help us relax in a new environment. It was amazing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I have to mention that Lupin is a “naturist community,” where people are free to be nude, so it was a little different than the camping experiences we’ve had in the past. During previous camping trips to places like Lake Camanche, I’d jump in the lake naked when no one was around. So once I found a place where I could walk around naked without having the police called on me, I was down!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s nothing sexual about it. It’s about being free. You feel the nature, and the love from everyone around you. And best of all: there’s no judgement. You could be fat, skinny or whatever, and people are just accepting. I’ve been self-conscious of my stretch marks for a long time, and I didn’t feel that when I was out there. I don’t know if I’ve ever been to a place where I felt no judgement, even when I’m fully clothed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13892752\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 320px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13892752\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Lupin.jpg\" alt=\"Lupin Lodge. \" width=\"320\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Lupin.jpg 320w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Lupin-160x200.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lupin Lodge. \u003ccite>(Yelp)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>My husband, Dom, is a man’s man: a barber and Mustang driver. He was able to stand naked, and give handshakes and hugs to other naked men without feeling any type of way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The experience was never weird or uncomfortable, like the movies about stereotypical “nudist colonies.” It was like meeting a family you didn’t know for the first time. And taking no time in really getting to \u003cem>know \u003c/em>them. People do yoga and play sports, sing songs and break bread. Most of all, people simply spread love.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’ve recently purchased an RV trailer and more camping equipment, and now we make the trek from the East Bay to the Santa Cruz area weekly. Each time it’s refreshing to get away, if only for just a little while. The new family we have now has given us something to look forward to on the weekends; a blessing during these times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s also made me question: where does love come from? In my life, I’ve learned that it’s possible to feel love from others, just as it’s possible to feel hate. They’re both strong feelings that people can sense, almost like pheromones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And there’s also people who are able to send “fake love,” feelings that damage peoples’ ability to sense and accept real love. I experienced a lot of fake love in my life, and it’s refreshing to find the real thing. It takes time to find out what’s really real. Trips to nature, and being in your natural state can help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In my opinion, the easiest way to decipher the real from the fake is that when you question love, maybe you should let it go. And when you feel love with your whole heart—be it the love of a person or a place—embrace it and give love back in return.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Love to all.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cem>—Erikka Ransom\u003c/em>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-12127869\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Correction: The original version of this story inaccurately referred to Lupin Lodge as a “naturalist community,” rather than a “naturist community.” The story has been edited to correct the term.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ci>It’s Tuesday morning and my phone is ringing. Before even looking at the screen, I know it’s my sister, Erikka. Every week for the past six months or so, my sister has spent 10 minutes telling me about her weekend escapades. The accounts are adventurous, liberating, and oddly enough, about love.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>My sister, a mother of two, has been through some harrowing experiences. Just about all of the foul things a young woman can be involved in while growing up in the inner city—from selling sex to selling crack—she’s done it. And she’s open about how those experiences have left marks on her, physically, mentally, and emotionally.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Now recently married, my sister’s phone calls aren’t about the pain she’s experienced, and really aren’t about the romantic relationship she and her partner share. They’re more about her discovery of a loving community. And most importantly, her stories are about an East Oakland girl finding self-love near the Santa Cruz Mountains.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Because it’s her story, I figured she’d be the best person to tell it.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>—Pendarvis Harshaw\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13892748\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13892748\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Erikka.Lake_-800x555.jpg\" alt=\"Erikka Ransom and husband Dom at Lake Merritt in Oakland.\" width=\"800\" height=\"555\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Erikka.Lake_-800x555.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Erikka.Lake_-1020x708.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Erikka.Lake_-160x111.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Erikka.Lake_-768x533.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Erikka.Lake_-1536x1066.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Erikka.Lake_.jpg 1556w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Erikka Ransom and husband Dom at Lake Merritt in Oakland. \u003ccite>(Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Love… We tend to throw the word around like confetti, \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">but it means more and comes with so much responsibility. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I found my love when I was only 15. He was my neighbor, my friend, and the love of my life, even though he didn’t know it yet. We grew up together and separated when both our families moved from the Skyline Hills Apartment complex in the East Oakland hills. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We individually went through a great deal of hurt during our lives. Hard times financially, run-ins with the law, and relationships that scarred us for life.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In adulthood, we talked periodically, remaining good friends. We’d often discuss our relationships, and how they were missing \u003cem>something\u003c/em>. We were both suffering, both missing love.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">My last relationship ended after 11 years—there was no love there for me. His 20-year relationship ended just before mine.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">About four years ago I saw the love of my life again. I was driving down the street near Foothill Square in East Oakland. I had just moved into an apartment in the neighborhood. About a block away from my new home, I saw him outside taking a break from work. I almost left the car in drive as I jumped out! Happiness rushed back into my heart as I remembered love again. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite the pandemic, we married on July 27, 2020. We wanted to be together forever, so much that we held a small ceremony in our backyard, over an iPad, with the Justice of Peace. It was beautiful. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13892739\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13892739\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Erikka.jpg\" alt=\"Erikka Ransom and husband Dom, pictured together.\" width=\"800\" height=\"804\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Erikka.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Erikka-160x161.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Erikka-768x772.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Erikka Ransom and husband Dom, pictured together. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Erikka Ransom)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We’re both lovers of camping; time spent in nature actually helped solidify our relationship. We decided to find a place to enjoy the outdoors during the shelter-in-place orders. But most campsites were closed.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And then we found a place that was unlike any other: \u003ca href=\"https://www.lupinlodge.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lupin Lodge\u003c/a>. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is a community that welcomes newcomers with open arms. We started going in August and we’ve been back every weekend, just because of the love we feel. The first day we were there, people invited us to eat with them, and asked if we needed anything. They even recited poems just to help us relax in a new environment. It was amazing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I have to mention that Lupin is a “naturist community,” where people are free to be nude, so it was a little different than the camping experiences we’ve had in the past. During previous camping trips to places like Lake Camanche, I’d jump in the lake naked when no one was around. So once I found a place where I could walk around naked without having the police called on me, I was down!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s nothing sexual about it. It’s about being free. You feel the nature, and the love from everyone around you. And best of all: there’s no judgement. You could be fat, skinny or whatever, and people are just accepting. I’ve been self-conscious of my stretch marks for a long time, and I didn’t feel that when I was out there. I don’t know if I’ve ever been to a place where I felt no judgement, even when I’m fully clothed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13892752\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 320px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13892752\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Lupin.jpg\" alt=\"Lupin Lodge. \" width=\"320\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Lupin.jpg 320w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Lupin-160x200.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lupin Lodge. \u003ccite>(Yelp)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>My husband, Dom, is a man’s man: a barber and Mustang driver. He was able to stand naked, and give handshakes and hugs to other naked men without feeling any type of way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The experience was never weird or uncomfortable, like the movies about stereotypical “nudist colonies.” It was like meeting a family you didn’t know for the first time. And taking no time in really getting to \u003cem>know \u003c/em>them. People do yoga and play sports, sing songs and break bread. Most of all, people simply spread love.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’ve recently purchased an RV trailer and more camping equipment, and now we make the trek from the East Bay to the Santa Cruz area weekly. Each time it’s refreshing to get away, if only for just a little while. The new family we have now has given us something to look forward to on the weekends; a blessing during these times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s also made me question: where does love come from? In my life, I’ve learned that it’s possible to feel love from others, just as it’s possible to feel hate. They’re both strong feelings that people can sense, almost like pheromones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And there’s also people who are able to send “fake love,” feelings that damage peoples’ ability to sense and accept real love. I experienced a lot of fake love in my life, and it’s refreshing to find the real thing. It takes time to find out what’s really real. Trips to nature, and being in your natural state can help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In my opinion, the easiest way to decipher the real from the fake is that when you question love, maybe you should let it go. And when you feel love with your whole heart—be it the love of a person or a place—embrace it and give love back in return.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Love to all.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cem>—Erikka Ransom\u003c/em>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-12127869\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Correction: The original version of this story inaccurately referred to Lupin Lodge as a “naturalist community,” rather than a “naturist community.” The story has been edited to correct the term.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
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"mindshift": {
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"order": 12
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"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
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"onourwatch": {
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"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
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"pbs-newshour": {
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},
"perspectives": {
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"order": 14
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"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
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"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
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"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
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"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
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},
"pri-the-world": {
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"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
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},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
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