SEATTLE — At Hing Hay Park in the International District Saturday, groups held a rally against anti-Asian hate and violence – and to embrace unity.
The rally was put on by the Seattle Rice Society. Grace Chung helped organize the event.
“We had around 10 people with various creative backgrounds, which is cello, spoken word, things like that, to come out and really show love for the Asian American community here in Seattle,” Chung said.
Chung said the crowd of over 100 people was there to denounce the hate, but also celebrate diverse cultures.
“Well, I cried a lot. Personally, I think that what I felt in the crowd was a lot of just like joy, and happiness,” she said.
Chung said it was important to have this rally given the recent rise in anti-Asian violence and to promote the good that comes from within the Asian community.
“As an Asian American, our culture is something that's kind of on the back burner. And so for us to just proclaim who we are, and to relish our distinct personalities and ethnicities and cultures was honestly just like a huge breath of relief and joy,” she said.
After a month of planning the event, Chung said she was overwhelmed to see the love and support from the community.
“I feel like we have to understand that, like, I'm getting kind of emotional, but it really does take a community it really does take a lot of people pulling together to really celebrate each other,” Chung said.