A “Solidarity with AAPI” event will take place on Saturday, June 26 at noon at MacArthur Park, hosted by Pueblita Tortillas and other community groups.
“Our goal is to have an open forum for anybody in the community,” said Sandy Wall, founder of Pueblita Tortillas.
The event will include a community open-mic and serve to uplift the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities that have been targeted by hate crimes.
An analysis of police data by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino stated that Los Angeles saw a 114% rise in anti-Asian hate crimes reported in 2020.
Across 16 of America’s largest cities, anti-Asian hate crimes rose by 145% in 2020, according to the analysis.
Wall noted that the main goal isn’t just to acknowledge the rise in hate crimes but to bring awareness to the fact that racism against folks in the AAPI community didn’t start in 2020.
“With social media there’s a lot more awareness and a lot more people taping things, so I think that’s why people are just like, ‘Oh, this has always been happening,’” Wall said.
Although Wall is not part of the AAPI community, she wanted to organize the event to offer a platform.
“These are our neighbors, these are our community members that are really just having a tough time. We just want to be there to support them and just know that we have their back,” Wall said of her role as organizer.
Bruce McCall Jr., founder of Urban Reset and one of the organizers, said the gathering will serve as a safe space for resolution, conversations and understanding.
Saturday’s event will have educational elements, with opening speaker, organizer Josh De Leon, talking about the history of racism against the Asian community in the U.S.
The community event will also include COVID-19 and vaccine resources, local food vendors, kids arts and crafts tables, special performances and informational booths from nonprofits.
Information on how to report hate crimes in various languages will be available at one of the resource tables.
Jhoanna Belfer, owner of Bel Canto Books and ardent supporter of the diversification of literature, will be present with books geared toward the event.
“It’s so exciting to see the young people coming together out of their own desire and interest,” Belfer said.
Wall noted that she wants this forum to also help with community healing.
As such, there will be trauma-informed yoga as well as mental health resources and hand massages.
The Solidarity with AAPI event has been months in the making, with two related events preceding it during the week.
On Friday, a $5 virtual screening of short documentary film, “Cambodia Town: Not for Sale” and a rough-cut screening of “Untitled Documentary Celebrating KH Market” will take place.
Both films were made by Long Beach filmmakers Brandon Soun and Lan Nguyen.
Half of the proceeds from tickets for the screening will fund Saturday’s community event and the other half will help fund the completion of the KH Market documentary.
Proceeds from the sales of Pueblita Tortillas during May and June have also funded the Solidarity with AAPI event.
“Your fight is my fight,” Wall said. “I have their back and I just want the community to know that. I also want to expand as everyone else so we can all learn together. There’s no shame in learning.”
The Solidarity with AAPI event will take place on Saturday, June 26 from noon to 4 p.m. To learn more follow @pueblitatortillas on Instagram.
To RSVP for the virtual film screenings, click here.
