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Lisa Ling took to the streets along with hundreds of fellow protesters on Saturday at the Stop Asian Hate rally.
The CNN newscaster and documentarian, 47, attended the rally with her husband, physician Paul Song, in the Koreatown section of Los Angeles, California.
They were surrounded by fellow demonstrators holding signs and wearing T-shirts brandishing messages such as ‘I am not a virus’ and ‘stronger united’.
The rally, organized by the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles in partnership with 20 community-based organizations, was one of many across Los Angeles and the US, including Detroit, Boston and Washington DC.
In Koreatown, Los Angeles: Lisa Ling took to the streets along with several community members on Saturday, in a show of support of the Stop Asian Hate cause
Stronger together: The CNN newscaster, 47, attended the rally with her husband, physician Paul Song, 52
Demonstrating: The mother of two held a sign which read ‘Unity today + everyday’ on one side, and ‘I ❤️U’ on the other side
Lisa wore a black T-shirt displaying the slogan ‘Phenomenally Asian’.
The mother of two held a sign which read ‘Unity today + everyday’ on one side, and ‘I ❤️U’ on the other side.
She also wore a black N95 face mask with a gold chain, a black-and-white Keith Haring-inspired fanny pack and Vans slip-ons.
Her husband, 52, wore a yellow face mask with the words ‘Stop Asian hate’ on it.
He also held a yellow sign which said, ‘Hate is a virus!’
On his T-shirt was a picture of noted Japanese-American civil rights activist Yuri Kochiyama.
Rallies such as this have been cropping up all over the country of late, in light of the March 19th mass shootings in two Atlanta area massage parlor spas which resulted in the deaths of eight people, including six women of Asian descent.
Last weekend, a diverse crowd gathered near the Georgia state Capitol to demand justice for the victims of recent shootings at massage businesses and to denounce racism, xenophobia and misogyny.
Hundreds of people of all ages and varied racial and ethnic backgrounds gathered in Liberty Plaza in Atlanta, and in similar rallies across the country, waving signs and chanting slogans.
In Atlanta, they cheered U.S. Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, and Georgia state Rep. Bee Nguyen, the first Vietnamese American to serve in the Georgia House.
‘I just wanted to drop by to say to my Asian sisters and brothers, we see you, and, more importantly, we are going to stand with you,’ Warnock said to loud cheersas passing drivers honked car horns in support.
Robert Aaron Long, a 21-year-old white man, is accused of killing four people inside two Atlanta spas and four others at a massage business about 30 miles away in suburban Cherokee County. Six of the eight people killed Tuesday were women of Asian descent. Another person was shot but survived.
Investigators have said Long confessed to the slayings but said they weren’t racially motivated. He claimed to have a sex addiction, which caused him to lash out at what he saw as sources of temptation, according to authorities. Police have said they’re still working to establish a motive, including looking into whether the attacks can be classified as hate crimes.
A couple hundred people gathered in a separate Atlanta park and marched through the streets to join the larger rally, chanting ‘Stop Asian hate’ and ‘We are what America looks like.’
Bernard Dong, a 24-year-old student from China at Georgia Tech, said he came out to the protest for the rights not just for Asians but for all minorities. ‘Many times Asian people are too silent, but times change,’ he said.
Dong said he was ‘angry and disgusted’ about the shootings, and the violence that persists in 2021 against Asians, minorities and women.
Similar rallies were held from coast to coast. In San Francisco, hundreds gathered in Portsmouth Square, in the middle of Chinatown, to grieve the victims and to call for an end to racist and sexist violence against Asian Americans. The participants waved signs reading ‘stop Asian hate.’
In Pittsburgh, hundreds also rallied, and videos posted to social media showed former Grey’s Anatomy actress and Golden Globe Award winner Sandra Oh speaking to the crowd.
‘I will challenge everyone here … If you see one of our sisters and brothers in need, will you help us?’ she said, later yelling into a megaphone: ‘I am proud to be Asian! I belong here!’
In Chicago, about 300 people gathered and in New York City, hundreds marched from Times Square to Chinatown, news outlets reported.
The rallies sprung up after the Atlanta mass shooting combined with a major uptick in anti-Asian violence worldwide since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. They are part of a renewed focus on protecting Asian members of the community from discrimination and hate crimes.
Ling has been particularly active both on social media and in the industry at large in promoting anti-Asian Hate causes, including co-launching the #StopAsianHate campaign which has seen contributions totaling over $7 million from companies such as AT&T and WarnerMedia.
Taken at the rally: Ling documented sweet moments at the demonstration, adding them to her Instagram account
Washington, DC, March 17th: Rallies such as this have been cropping up all over the country of late, in light of the March 19th mass shootings in two Atlanta area spas which resulted in the deaths of eight people, including six women of Asian descent
Protester places flowers at a make shift memorial at steps during Stop Asian Hate Rally in Boston
Phoebe Yang, 6, marches alongside Xuemei Li during the second consecutive weekend of Stop Asian Hate protests, Saturday March 27, 2021, on Woodward Avenue in Detroit
People take part in the second consecutive weekend of Stop Asian Hate protests, Saturday March 27, 2021, on Woodward Avenue in Detroit
Performers and demonstrators march at the ‘Stop Asian Hate March and Rally’ in Koreatown on March 27, 2021 in Los Angeles
People march during the second consecutive weekend of Stop Asian Hate protests, Saturday March 27, 2021, on Woodward Avenue in Detroit
People demonstrate at the ‘Stop Asian Hate March and Rally’ in Koreatown on March 27, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. March 27 is the #StopAsianHate National Day of Action against anti-Asian violence
People demonstrate at the ‘Stop Asian Hate March and Rally’ in Koreatown on March 27, 2021 in Los Angeles, California
Other celebrities who have spoken up on Instagram for #StopAsianHate include Olivia Munn, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ken Jeong.
It comes soon after Lisa recently spoke out in defense of The Talk co-host Sharon Osbourne, herself embroiled in a scandal involving alleged racial slurs and hate speech.
Saying she is ‘not a fan of cancel culture,’ Lisa added she believes Sharon should be given a chance to redeem herself after she left the beloved daytime talk show this week amid claims of racist behavior.
Active: Ling has been particularly active both on social media and in the industry at large in promoting anti-Asian Hate causes
Speaking out: It comes soon after Lisa recently spoke out in defense of The Talk co-host Sharon Osbourne, herself embroiled in a scandal involving racial slurs and hate speech
Other celebrities who have spoken up on Instagram for #StopAsianHate include: Olivia Munn, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ken Jeong
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