What can we do?
What have I done?
I partnered with another senior named Kalea Mon and sold jewelry to the school community. We created an Instagram account to bring more attention and posted pictures of the jewelry, along with information about ourselves and our goals. Students and adults were able to preorder jewelry through our link, and we were able to raise over $200.
Appreciation vs. Fetishization
How can we stop the fetishization? To appreciate a culture is to respect all traditions, clothing, and food from it, rather than changing it to fit your own "aesthetic" or style. Doing research before wearing traditional clothing or trying new foods is a great place to start.
Kalea and I decided to donate all of our proceeds to CAPE USA.
CAPE USA was founded by three Asian American executives working in Hollywood in 1991. This organization has grown tremendously over the past few decades. Their mission is to give Asians a voice and a forum to grow as established actors, writers, directors, producers, agents, and executives within the entertainment industry. With their work, they have been able to empower many AAPI's to speak up and fight for a better change. I hope to do the same.