As we scroll through social media, we can observe that the majority of our feed is filled with horrifying news of Asian Americans being attacked across different cities in America. Amid the pandemic, there have been 122 incidents of anti-Asian American hate crimes in 16 of the country’s most populous cities in 2020, an increase of almost 150% in hate attacks over the previous year.
Unfortunately, targeting Asians doesn’t only involve harassment with racial slurs and remarks, but this comes with physical assault, vandalism, and violence against their small businesses. From an Asian American mother who allegedly was spit at while holding her baby and called the Chinese virus in NY to robbing and vandalizing an Asian-owned pawnshop, leaving one person seriously injured in NYC, the hate crimes do not stop there.
While there are some communities and organizations that are contributing to help Asian Americans, such as, Asian American Federation, Asian American For Equality, and Coalition for Asian American Children and Families. There are always more actions we can take to prevent this issue from spiraling. Racism towards Asians should not be ignored and we need to assist each other by using our voices to spread peace. Let’s do our best in showing love and support to the Asian American community through these troubling times.
Here are some small Asian-owned sustainable brands YOU can support:
Aday is a fashion sustainable brand that aims to simplify wardrobes. They set out to create a new standard for clothing that lets them do more with less and they do it in a way that revolutionizes clothing through conscious design.
Blueland creates everyday eco-friendly cleaning products to save money and space without any plastic waste. Their mission to make life eco-easy with innovative products and reusable packaging is convenient, effective, and affordable.
Christine’s Cookie Co.
Christine’s Cookies Co is a consciously made organic cookie shop located in San Jose, California. Their mission is to make delicious, responsibly sourced, organic cookies. Each purchase supports organic food businesses in northern California.
Coco Kind’s mission is to make conscious and accessible beauty products for all. Based in San Francisco, California, Coco Kind formulates gentle yet effective products with sustainably-sourced superfoods and offers them at an affordable price.
Girlfriend Collective creates activewear out of recycled materials because trash looks better on you than it does polluting the planet. From their packaging to their leggings, being eco-friendly is their top priority. They take the time to make sure every single one of their designs is so irresistible, you won’t cycle through it the next time you browse your closet.
Home Bodies Co is a cozy concept shop that helps mindful homebodies create feel-good spaces, empowering rituals, and overall a more intentional lifestyle. They source materials and produce their products without plastic, ensuring their products to be plastic-free unless otherwise specified.
Meow Meow Tweet is a vegan personal care brand for everyone. Always ethical, low waste, handmade, and cruelty-free, they develop all of their goods as if they were modern culinary dishes. From the sourcing of ingredients to handpicking the beautiful scents, effort and thought are put into each of their healthful and efficacious final products.
Pink Moon is an inclusive wellcare and community oasis created by women, for women – through every phase of life. Their mission is to provide a communal sanctuary that inspires sustainable living and genuine self-love. In this space, they invite women to be themselves, no matter what.
Rue Saint Paul is a sustainable collective, marketplace, and concept closet, connecting sustainably and ethically conscious designers with their communities in Brooklyn, New York. Their mission is to help reduce the fashion industry’s environmental footprint, promote ethical manufacturing, and drive responsible and circular consumption.
Sage Collective is a lifestyle brand at the intersection of culture, hospitality, and progressive social change. Their mission is to cultivate connections between Chinese culture and the modern world, so everyone can engage and reveal possibilities for an intercultural and collaborative future.
This is just the first step in bringing light to this crisis. In times like these, our Asian American community needs the encouragement they didn’t know they needed and there’s always more you can do. By supporting Asians and their small-owned businesses, we’re in the process of ending discrimination and creating harmony. Let’s do our part by speaking up, showing love, and advocating for Asians together! For more information, visit stopaapihate.org.
ANDWHY. Media 