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Motivated to speak out against both recent and historical hate crimes against Asian Americans, the group AAPI Mountain View, formed by local youth, is hosting a public march and rally on Sunday, April 11, from 3 to 5 p.m. in downtown Mountain View.
The march will start at the Mountain View Transit Center, which during World War II served as a processing point for Japanese Americans about to be interned. The marchers will walk along View Street, where the city’s Chinatown existed from the late 1800s to the mid-1940s; pass by the former meeting place of the Mountain View Anti-Chinese Club, which was a stronghold for people advocating for the 1882 passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act; and end up at Mountain View City Hall Plaza.
“Our group AAPI Mountain View was formed by youth to empower and uplift AAPI individuals and reckon with Mountain View’s history of anti-Asian racism,” said Chris Chiang, a local educator.
The group’s youth leaders include Daisy Kemp of Mountain View High School, Amanda Khu of Castilleja School, and Jason Shan of Lynbrook High School.
At City Hall Plaza at 3:30 p.m., speakers will share their stories of being Asian American/Pacific Islander in the Bay Area. Mountain View Mayor Ellen Kamei, Mountain View council member Margaret Abe-Koga and U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo are among the speakers scheduled. Members of the public who wish to talk for one minute about their experiences can contact the organizers at aapimv.com.
At 4 p.m., organizers have planned a moment of remembrance for 75-year-old Pak Ho, the Oakland man who was mortally assaulted and robbed in March. His attacker has been charged with his murder.
The event will also include arts and cultural performances by taiko troupe Jun Daiko and more, organizers said.
The Sunday event will be live streamed ( @aapimv) and text of the testimonies will be provided as an archive to local city councils, school boards and historical societies.
More information about the rally is posted at aapimv.com.
The event is the latest in a series of local protests, statements from officials and opinion columns denouncing anti-Asian rhetoric and violence in the wake of escalating racist incidents against Asian Americans.
By Mountain View Voice staff
By Mountain View Voice staff
By Mountain View Voice staff
