Sandra Oh is one of the many celebrities taking a stand against the rise of anti-Asian hate incidents in the United States. The “Killing Eve” star joined a “Stop Asian Hate” protest in Pittsburgh on Saturday, giving a short, powerful speech to the crowd.
In a video captured by the University of Pittsburgh’s student newspaper, The Pitt News, the actor addressed those with her at the rally, giving her support to the Asian American communities nationwide days after the tragic shootings in Atlanta that resulted in eight deaths, including six Asian women.
"Pittsburgh, I am so happy and proud to be here with you, and thank you to all the organizers for organizing this just to give us an opportunity to be together and to stand together and to feel each other," Oh said over a megaphone. "For many of us in our community, this is the first time we are even able to voice our fear and our anger and I really am so grateful to everyone willing to listen."
“I know many of us in our community and very scared and I understand that,” she continued. “One way to get through our fear is to reach out to our communities. I will challenge everyone here, if you see something, will you help me? We must understand as Asian Americans we just need to reach out our hands to our sisters and brothers and say, ‘Help me,’ and, ‘I am here.’”
Oh concluded the heart of her speech with one single line: “And just for one thing, I am proud to be Asian!”
The former “Grey’s Anatomy” star encouraged the crowd to join in on her chant, saying, “I want to hear you say, ‘I am proud to be Asian! I belong here!”
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The crowd repeated back Oh’s words multiple times before she wrapped up her powerful speech, adding, “Many of us don’t get the chance to be able to say that, so I just wanted to give us an opportunity to be able to shout that.”
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Oh, who is rarely active on social media, posted two separate messages in recent weeks calling for the end of anti-Asian racism in the country. On March 9, she re-shared a message that included several organizations and funds to donate to in an effort to help keep our communities safe.
On March 18, Oh posted a written message on her feed addressed to friends and fellow Asian Americans.
“I send loving kindness and support to the families of the eight souls murdered in Georgia on March 16th,” she wrote. “And to all victims of racist violence. I am devastated and profoundly angry. I know many of you are scared, but let us not be afraid.”
She concluded her poignant message on a reflective note, writing, “Remember #itsanhonorjusttobeasian. Let us ALL join together to #stopasianhate.”
Joanna Gaines, Daniel Dae Kim, Eddie Huang and Olivia Munn are among just a small sampling of celebrities who have called for an end to anti-Asian racist incidents as they increased nationwide during the pandemic. In the past year, from March 2020 to February 2021, there have been nearly 3,800 incidents reported according to Stop AAPI Hate.
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