We Will Rise

Katherine Ge

(Editor's note:  Katherine Ge is a high school student from the Class of 2024 at The Bishop's School. Below is the memo she wrote after attending the ACA Candlelight Vigil, which was also published as an opinion letter in the Del Mar Times on April 2nd.​  )

The sight on the front lawn of San Diego County Hall felt warm in the nighttime darkness. Hundreds of people had gathered around a table furnished with candles and pictures of the Atlanta shooting victims, each holding LED candles. Flowers adorned the sidewalk. As peaceful as the scene seemed, not too far was a collection of bold signs demanding “Stop Asian Hate.”

(Candlelight vigil at county administration building)

I felt comfortable in the bubble of light and my people; yet each of us knew the gathering wasn’t about comfortable topics. Chenyang Rickard, the president of ACA and organizer of the vigil, began to speak about the 8 victims of the Atlanta spa shootings; she emotionally told us everything from their immigration dreams, their families, to their favorite desserts. Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Ae Yue, Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, and Daoyou Feng. 

She spoke with flaming passion, “We all feel it. Violence is right at our doorstep. We all feel it.” 

​Asian-American racism has always haunted us and our American-borne children in the United States. But when being called “Ling-Ling” turns into racially-motivated manslaughter, our Asian community must speak up. And that is exactly what we did. One of the first speakers, a hospital worker Dr. Carolyn, shared her experience of xenophobic patients being more concerned about her race than her medical experience. Carolyn strongly felt although she was Asian-American, her identity was still American and should be respected. Jeff, a scientist, shared his story of experiencing blatant racism for the first time. Many high-schoolers, including freshman Steven and myself, spoke about our experience with racism at school.

(The author Katherine speaking. Photo by Xiu Yu)

A middle-aged woman named Melody was horrified by the pure danger Asians are put in. “You can buy protective gear, knives, pepper spray--but you will always be scared. It’s not supposed to be like this.” UCLA student, Zoe, agreed, “I am absolutely terrified that one day, my calls will be unreturned and I will see my parents’ face flash up on the TV.” The audience resonated through applauding and shouts of agreement. “Protect our seniors--protect our children.” 

​A fifth-grade speaker named Joshua, said “We need to unite,” and encouraged everyone to speak up against the unjust criminal system. A grandma bearing silver hair told everyone that nothing would change without our younger Asian-American voices. “We need more Asians in Congress - as lawyers.” A recurring motif throughout each speech was the need for Asian-Americans in public service, like lawyers,community leaders, and congresspeople. High school student Sydney declared, “No one is going to do it for you. Don't be scared to go out there and go for it.”

(Joshua speaking. Photo by Xiu Yu)

Shortly after the night sky became a navy blue, the speeches were over. Everyone gathered closer in a circle to sing “You Raise Me Up.” Each lyric and word held incomparable emotion. It brought me to tears. The rose-colored lighting surrounding faces of the Atlanta victims, the scent of fresh flowers, the bustle of downtown San Diego around us--it was angelic yet bittersweet. 

​A week has passed since the vigil and awareness of the injustice against us is thriving. Across the nation, thousands of Asian-Americans are rising up in protest. We will not stop fighting until we are heard.