The recent mass killing in Atlanta, on March 16, of eight women, six of them of Asian descent, is a reflection of the rise of anti-Asian sentiment in America. According to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino, anti-Asian hate crimes surged 145% in 2020. The organization Stop Asian American and Pacific Islander Hate tracked nearly 3,800 incidents of violence and harassment over the past year. Which amounts to more than 10 a day. Those numbers are drawing people from the Central Coast to support Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. It's supported through milk and cookies. Marina-based catering company, A Taste of Elegance, hosted a drive-thru support event for Asians, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. People had a chance to drive up, drop off a message or letter of support. The catering company would then hand off cookies and milk to enjoy. The owner of A Taste of Elegance Annie Hobbs is originally from Taiwan but has lived on the central coast for 20 years. Recently she said the rise in Asian attacks has left her worried for her elderly parents. She also said her heart breaks for her husband who worries for her when she leaves home. The company wanted to use this event to give people an outlet to show support. Hobbs said this is about destroying the division that she sees in the county, including most recently from blameful or hateful words said by previous leadership. "Personally, I think if you could once have a person that was supposed to be in charge, spreading hate and division. I think it's our duty to do just the opposite and say, 'no this is not OK.' Words have consequences, words has power. Let's turn that around because we are not powerless ourselves," said Annie Hobbs, owner of A Taste of Elegance. One of the people who drove up to show support was a Filipino-American man, who wanted to be in solidarity with people of color. He had his son drop off messages. It's now led the man to have those tough conversations with his young son. "It's a hard conversation because he is seven years old and he has a lot of questions. He realized there's hate around a lot of stuff going on. I tell him it does happen but we try to be positive and try to set a good example for him. Tell him not to mind all that, and be good to your classmates and spread the love," said Andy Rojas, showing support at milk and cookies event. The cards that people are leaving behind will go out to Asian community centers. Hobbs said some will be going to the Bay Area and Atlanta following the March 16 shooting. "You don't know better you can't do better. To have a person that was once in charge use words like 'kung flu' and 'China virus' that is division, and today is all about community. I understand that cookies aren't gonna save the world, but hey it's a start," said Hobbs.
The recent mass killing in Atlanta, on March 16, of eight women, six of them of Asian descent, is a reflection of the rise of anti-Asian sentiment in America.
According to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino, anti-Asian hate crimes surged 145% in 2020. The organization Stop Asian American and Pacific Islander Hate tracked nearly 3,800 incidents of violence and harassment over the past year. Which amounts to more than 10 a day.
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Those numbers are drawing people from the Central Coast to support Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
It's supported through milk and cookies. Marina-based catering company, A Taste of Elegance, hosted a drive-thru support event for Asians, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
People had a chance to drive up, drop off a message or letter of support. The catering company would then hand off cookies and milk to enjoy.
The owner of A Taste of Elegance Annie Hobbs is originally from Taiwan but has lived on the central coast for 20 years. Recently she said the rise in Asian attacks has left her worried for her elderly parents. She also said her heart breaks for her husband who worries for her when she leaves home.
The company wanted to use this event to give people an outlet to show support.
Hobbs said this is about destroying the division that she sees in the county, including most recently from blameful or hateful words said by previous leadership.
"Personally, I think if you could once have a person that was supposed to be in charge, spreading hate and division. I think it's our duty to do just the opposite and say, 'no this is not OK.' Words have consequences, words has power. Let's turn that around because we are not powerless ourselves," said Annie Hobbs, owner of A Taste of Elegance.
One of the people who drove up to show support was a Filipino-American man, who wanted to be in solidarity with people of color. He had his son drop off messages. It's now led the man to have those tough conversations with his young son.
"It's a hard conversation because he is seven years old and he has a lot of questions. He realized there's hate around a lot of stuff going on. I tell him it does happen but we try to be positive and try to set a good example for him. Tell him not to mind all that, and be good to your classmates and spread the love," said Andy Rojas, showing support at milk and cookies event.
The cards that people are leaving behind will go out to Asian community centers. Hobbs said some will be going to the Bay Area and Atlanta following the March 16 shooting.
"You don't know better you can't do better. To have a person that was once in charge use words like 'kung flu' and 'China virus' that is division, and today is all about community. I understand that cookies aren't gonna save the world, but hey it's a start," said Hobbs.
March 25, 2021 at 09:12AM
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Project CommUNITY: Supporting the AAPI community with milk and cookies - KSBW Monterey
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