Mother Baltimore: Don’t forget about us
Soon Chung Park, 74; Hyun Jung Grant, 51; Suncha Kim, 69; Yong Ae Yue, 63; Xiaojie Tan, 49; Daoyou Feng, 44; Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33 and Paul Andre Michels, 54.
Those are the names of people who were killed during the shooting at Atlanta-area spas earlier this month. Six out of the eight victims were Asian women. Six out of the eight victims were Asian women. Six out of the eight victims were Asian women. Although the suspect and law enforcement have yet to mention race as a motive for the shooting, activists and many within the Asian community are saying that race should not at all be left out of the conversation.
The shootings happened as hate crimes against Asians are rising in the United States and have invoked calls to create more awareness about the hypersexualization of Asian women.
Melissa Borja, an assistant professor in the Asian/Pacific Islander American studies program at the University of Michigan, clearly explained how the trend of hypersexulization of Asian women in pop culture is connected to the violence they face:
“Asian American women are objects of desire, and this idea is reproduced in so many different ways, in so many different movies and musicals. It’s deeply rooted...It’s hinged on a view of Asian women as being less than human in ways that are really troubling to me.”
“We know Asian American women are particularly affected by the past year and the anti-Asian racism that we see associated with the pandemic. The impact is really important, and it’s been really striking to me last night and today how sad they are, how angry they are. Earlier today, I just got off the phone with my 71-year-old mother who didn’t want to go on her afternoon walk because she felt afraid. That impact matters perhaps more than the intent of the killer.”
If you want to learn more about anti-Asian violence, check out this list of resources.
Now, here’s the latest news from the metro-east
These Black women urban farmers work to bring fresh food to southwest IL communities
BND reporter DeAsia Paige explored the journey of three urban farmers in St. Louis and the metro-east region who are working together to ensure underserved communities of color have access to fresh food. The urban farmers also talked about their experiences with being Black women in the agricultural field.
More on urban farming and fresh food access in the metro-east
How an urban farmer in East St. Louis is advocating for food justice in her community
New grocery stores are coming to East St. Louis. Here’s when the first will open
Converted East St. Louis school provides a haven for at-risk pets and their owners
Teri Maddox, a veteran BND reporter, took a look inside Gateway Pet Guardians in East St. Louis, what’s believed to be the first veterinary clinic in the city. But the organization is much more than that. It’s an animal shelter, pet-food and supply story and a photo studio, among other things. More importantly, though, Gateway Pet Guardians is dedicated to providing pet services for communities of color in the metro-east like East St. Louis, Washington Park and Fairmont City.
More community reporting in East St. Louis
State street cleanup in East St. Louis aims to bring awareness about environmental racism
This 6-year-old girl in East St. Louis helps the community and has fun along the way
Southwest IL senator works at controversial utility. He won’t talk about what he does.
Sen. Christ Belt (D-Centreville) was the subject of this in-depth reporting piece from BND journalists Kelsey Landis, Kavahn Mansouri and DeAsia Paige. Not only does the piece highlight how the senator has no job description for his role at a controversial water district in East St. Louis, but it reveals his ties to other local officials in the area.
More on Commonfields of Cahokia and Centreville’s flooding problems:
Illinois EPA awards nearly $1 million to help fix flooding issues in Centreville
Here’s how much Sen. Chris Belt and others made while working at Commonfields of Cahokia
What to watch
Verzuz Battle between Earth, Wind & Fire and The Isley Brothers
The latest installment of the popular Verzuz music series will feature an epic battle of the bands, to say the least. Legendary funk group Earth, Wind & Fire will face off against the equally legendary band The Isley Brothers on Easter Sunday. Get your best 70’s outfit, grab some soul food and prepare to be whisked away to R&B/Soul heaven on Sunday, April 4. A time for the live event has yet to be reported, but viewers can watch the battle via Triller or VerzuzTV.
What to read
‘WAP’ and the politics of Black women’s bodies
In this interview with Keaux Bragg of The 19th News, Dr. Arrin Halliday talks about the perception of Black women’s bodies through the frame of “WAP,” the hit single by rappers Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. If you’re not familiar with the song, ---I’ll let you guess what the acronym stands for :)--- then you’re probably familiar with the public vitriol the song received before and after the stars performed it during this year’s Grammy Awards. Halliday, assistant professor of gender studies at the University of Kentucky, mentions how the criticism of the song is a direct representation of how Black women are demeaned when taking autonomy of their bodies.
I love this passage from the interview because it speaks to how the duality of Black women is often accepted in society:
Millennial Black women have to kind of figure out, really out loud, what it means to have some kind of complicated relationships with our bodies but also with sex. We’re taught how to cover up, we’re not really taught how to express ourselves beyond being covered.
Michelle Obama and Kamala Harris and others provide the example of what it looks like to be “successful” Black women. It’s not an accident that their hair is straight….. it’s not an accident that they are presented in certain kinds of ways.
That’s all she wrote!
Talk to y’all in two weeks.
Have a story tip or just need to talk? Send me an email- dsutgrey@bnd.com or call me: 618-239-2624
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This story was originally published March 26, 2021 at 9:37 AM.
