Image Source: Teen Vogue, Harvard Gazette – Harvard University, Hollywood Reporter, People.com
Relationships are hard just as it is, but people tend to make it worse by projecting their own hate on people. The star shared her experience about being together with a Black man, Jaylen Smith, and how she had to brave certain criticism.
Recently, a TikTok fan of the star shared, “I know that Sunisa will be judged by certain eyes in the Hmong Community because her man is Black.” They said in the Thursday, December 30 video, “LOVE is LOVE, no matter what race or gender you are. Keep doing you QUEEN.”
The Olympic athlete, aged 18, appreciated the sweet sentiments and added that she, in fact, had received a certain backlash from her community because she was in an interracial relationship. The star referred to the video saying, “This makes me so happy.” She added, “I’ve received so much hate 😭 they support me when it’s beneficial for them never when it comes to my happiness. Thank you!”
The couple had made their relationship public by going Instagram official back in December 2021. The Olympian also appeared on season 30 of Dancing With the Stars. A month earlier last year, the dancer had shared that she was attacked based on her race one night when she was out with her friends. A racial attacker charged at her with pepper spray while others shouted racial slurs at them, saying, “go back to where they came from."
Retelling her experience, Suni said, “I was so mad, but there was nothing I could do or control because they skirted off.” sSh continued, “I didn’t do anything to them and having the reputation, it’s so hard because I didn’t want to do anything that could get me into trouble. I just let it happen.”
The athlete had previously brought glory to America by winning three medals at the Tokyo Olympics in July 2021.
Suni Lee thanked her fan for supporting her; Credits: Seventeen Magazine
Suni is, however, not the only celeb who has experienced hate because of her race. Many Asian stars, even the most successful ones, have to put up with racial attacks and live to tell horrifying stories. Last year when several people lost their lives to racially charged attacks, BTS, the popular boy band, shared, "We send our deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. We feel grief and anger."
The musicians retold their own experiences with hate crimes and said, "We recall moments when we faced discrimination as Asians. We have endured expletives without reason and were mocked for the way we look. We were even asked why Asians spoke in English."
The group added, "We cannot put into words the pain of becoming the subject of hatred and violence for such a reason. Our own experiences are inconsequential compared to the events that have occurred over the past few weeks. But these experiences were enough to make us feel powerless and chip away our self-esteem."
Lana Condor, the To All The Boys I've Loved Before actress, shared her own rage for having to experience the Asian hate and said, "Wake up... your Asian friends and family are deeply scared, horrified, sick to their stomachs, and wildly angry. Please, please, please check in on us, please please please stand with us. Please. Your Asian friend needs you, even if they aren’t publicly grieving on social media. x"
Retelling how difficult it is for the AAPI community to undertake simple tasks, she said, "Anthony told me last night he is afraid for me to go to the nail salon... This is not a world we should live in."
Charles Melton, the Riverdale star, talked about how he felt when his Korean mother was made to suffer due to her Asian status. Naturally, the experience rubbed off him and impacted him later in life. He told Variety, “I remember people talking down to my mother as if she didn’t belong. It demeaned her and, in turn, triggered something in me that I’ve long buried deep inside. A truth is that at my young age, I didn’t know how to protect her, and it broke my heart.”
Retelling his experience with microaggressions so many other Asians are familiar with, he said, “I will no longer remain silent about my lived experience. The hate crimes that have swept the country have forced me to realize how important the platform I have is and the responsibility that comes with it.”
Sandra Oh delivered a powerful speech asking people to stand with AAPI community; Credits: BBC
Sandra Oh, another Asian celebrity, urged people to come out and help Asians if they ever witnessed a hate crime. She said, “I understand that, and one way to go through our fear is to reach out to our community.” She questioned, “I will challenge everyone here: if you see something, will you help me? If you see one of our sisters and brothers in need, will you help us?" The star added, "As Asian Americans, we just need to reach out our hand to our sisters and brothers and say, ‘Help me, and I’m here.’”
