Asian Americans Share Their Experiences with Racism

Truth Against Hate is a compilation of stories about racism, told to end racism. Produced by CONVICTS and SOME NEAT PLACE, this film shares the stories of Asian American actors, comedians, entrepreneurs, and creatives who have faced racism. We’re as humbled as we are inspired by their bravery, and grateful for the reminder of humanity’s capacity for hope in the face of hate.

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[libfuzzy]

I bet the boy who threw away his lunch had way better food than everyone else in the cafeteria

[michelled.]

I'm black and I think Asian people are beautiful. You have beauty, grace, culture and strong family values. I really can identify with the comments made in this video. Racism is ugly, raw and painful. I remember walking home from school and a man spit on me and looked at me as if I was the most disgusting thing he'd ever seen. I was 6 years old. I had no idea in that moment that that was just the beginning. The honesty within this video is so painful to hear because it puts the spotlight on the ugly reality of life for minorities. I commend each person that participated in the making of this video. It's not easy to welcome the world into one's private pain and struggle. YouTube needs more videos like this.

[shuntley]

I literally teared up seeing this. Im south Korean American and have received considerate amount of racism throughout my life. I never had any other friends who were Asian so I couldn't share and relate to someone else. I don't think everyone in every race is racist just a few bad apples. I have been beat up and called racist slurs and made fun of how I look to my face. Its hard to stick up for myself because I'm the only asian. But I will not claim I'm oppressed or make myself a victim. This really has hit me hard.

[JustafewU]

As an Asian American, I grow up in a rural city in the heart of NY, I get spat on, all the racial slur in the dictionary were hurl at me by Blacks, brown, and white alike. After puberty I started noticed the trend of Western propaganda media perpetuating Asian as the bad, evil, and weak, it was bad. I stopped watching movies since.

[JohnLee-cbez]

Asians are considered polite and shy, and others take that for weakness. Growing up in the 80s, I have gotten expelled from 2 schools fighting back racial bullying and harassment. I was looked at as the bad guy because I got into so many fights. Most Asians just took the abuse, hoping it would go away. I fought back every time. Fortunately, I "gave" much more than I "got". Eventually, I became BADD enough and BIG enough where no one ever attempted those things. Looking back, the absolute worst abuse came from those that were supposedly "oppressed" about 200 years ago. I am glad my kids and grandkids don't go through what I did.

[noonynoonynoo]

OMG STEPHEN HO!!!😻 His Tiktoks are hilarious! I'm so glad he's getting more recognised for his standup too✨

[sidogga]

A boy I knew for a couple years asked me a micro aggression, “Where are you from?” When I told him I was born in an Asian part of California, he made a racist sound with his mouth that’s hard to describe by words. The next day I confronted him and showed the same fury he gave me. His face got red and he said, “I’m not like that.” “I don’t care where anyone’s from.” I haven’t talked to him since.

Don’t let anyone bully you whether it’s race or not. Stand up for yourself. Peace.

[chinglanlie]

as female, Indonesia-chinese, being poor, old and sick, the only place that I can survive on my own is Hong Kong.

[sarahhawkins]

Such an important part of the process of changing attitudes & opinions is sharing stories that hit home. If we take the time to listen and understand what people are going through, we learn to have more empathy and understanding towards others that are different to us. It's about time we start embracing our differences and celebrating them. Thank you Kian, Michelle, Steven, Nikki, Mike and Brian for sharing your stories here. So brave and so beautiful.

[brittneyjasmine]

Thank you for sharing 🙏🏼 the stories are beautiful and the production is incredible.

Every human being in this world is unique. If people are born with different skin color or born in different social groups the purpose or goal of the human beings will not change. We are all here for a purpose and we all deserve love and respect period.

[Teddyglck]

I'm Asian and have experienced everything my fellow brothers and sisters here have as well - but we never talk about it - no one knows - glad to finally see we aren't alone and stronger together. AAPI love.

[cinedvil]

im half korean and the amount of times i got picked on as a kid because of my eyes is insane. people would pull back their eyelids and mock me, start speaking unintelligibly with a chinese accent (in a way that mocks the language) whenever we interacted, call me various slurs and much more. i didn’t give it much thought when i was younger but it got to a psychological level where i was self conscious of my appearance and race. i tried my hardest to make my eyes bigger with makeup and as i aged i would actually wish to look more european and ‘white’ so that i wouldn’t stand out as much. and then the whole fascination with the east-asian culture started and that’s a whole other topic because i had various guys try to get with me just because im asian. this one guy would pointedly tell me how he likes watching p*rn starring asian actresses and that disgusts me. to this day i can’t imagine myself in a relationship out of fear that my partner would only want to be with me because im asian and feitishize me.

[fiddleronthecube]

My army buddy had asked me to go with him to visit his aunt and uncle. He was Caucasian and so were his relatives. I spent the night there. His aunt and uncle had not come home yet. I was asleep on their sofa when his aunt woke me to pull out the bed hidden in the sofa. She also gave me an extra blanket. That gladden me so much to this day. My friend said he didn't get an extra blanket. He kidded good-naturedly. Great experience for me.

[snowpillow]

As a black woman, I understand racism. For me, especially after covid, I saw firsthand how disgustingly racist people were towards Asian Americans. Before that I knew Asians experienced racism but it wasn't talked about much. It should be! It is so important for people to see this. I love and respect my asian friends they taught me so much

[susanrichardson]

I support you. The hate needs to be OVER.

[notchit]

My Taiwanese cousin were brought up by grandma & grandpa who spoke no English. She was very embarrassed & ashamed whenever grandma & grandpa spoked their language in public. She eventually grow up married a white man, so her kid can have European features. I learned in early age that Asian self hate is very common in the Asia community, but just kept very quiet.

[furacyst]

Kian is correct! Only when we unite and realize where oppression comes from, only then can we fight back against racism and rise above it!

[kathleenyohn]

Thank you! More of us are ready to hear their stories. Keep sharing!

[S.PaulY.]

I am not sure why I am still here born and raised NYC all my life proud Korean American. Unfortunately endured a vicious hate crime jumped 2yrs ago and its real. Life changing yes need to learn to live again not alone its been hard. God's Good

[bts]

I was born in Honolulu, HI...4th generation Japanese American. I experienced this sort of thing from a very young age...but, it was different for me. At the age of 4, we moved to Japan...I remember getting into numerous fights because although I was Japanese, born in Hawaii, I was singled out as being I learned to fight much older kids. We then relocated to Washington State when I was 10. It was no different there...I was called "China-Man"...again, I was fighting kids 3-4 years older than me (winning at least half my fights). It wasn't until the age of 10, when my dad asked if I wanted to take Karate that my life really changed. When I met my sensei...he asked me why I wanted to learn Karate...My immediate response was, that I wanted to win 100% of my fights against these older kids. He then asked..."Why are you getting into so many fights with older kids?". My response was...they call me Chinaman... I remember him looking perplexed...he then asked if I was Chinese...I said no, Japanese. He then replied..."So...why does it bother you so much?" Something so simple...yet, it changed the course of my life. He was from Hawaii, a Japanese American. I studied Shito-Ryu Karate with him until we moved to Alaska. There, I studied TaeKwon-Do from my instructor while attending the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. I was fortunate to study under this man...he was a true, old-school style TaeKwon-Do - Chung Do Kwan practitioner from Korea. Once I graduated, I moved to Anchorage where I was able to learn Kendo from an All-Japan Champion...many years later, I am now back in Hawaii, where studied Wado-Ryu Karate, and recently Shotokan. I don't see the issues that I experienced as a young child here in Hawaii where it is a big melting pot of cultures. I can say this...that simple conversation I had with my Sensei in Washington changed the course of my life. Since that day, I have not gotten into a single fight...Its not only knowing my abilities, but learning to avoid situations where conflicts may arise and being observant of your surroundings. Whether purposeful or now an innate behavior through my studies...my anger from my youth times has subsided...and I confidently carry myself and my family through life. I wish the best for those in this video...