Dr. Tiffany Moon and Crystal Kung Minkoff are showing their support for the AAPI community amid the recent rise in hate crimes incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
The Real Housewives of Dallas and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast members, respectively, have both been using their platforms to speak out on the rise in hate crimes against the AAPI community over the past year, posting on social media with the hashtag #StopAsianHate to raise awareness, reports Bravo's The Daily Dish.
"I will not be silent. I will not tolerate racism against anyone in any way, shape, or form," Tiffany wrote in a post on Instagram on February 21 sharing an article about the rise in hate crimes. "If I see it, I will call it out. Spread love, not hate."
In a separate post, Moon shared a photo created by a fan that features current and past Real Housewives stars, who are of Asian descent. Aside from Moon, the photo includes RHOD alum Tiffany Hendra, RHOA alum Lisa Wu, RHOSLC's Jen Shah, RHONY alum Jules Wainstein and RHOBH newbie Kung Minkoff.
Moon caption the post, "Please don’t be silent! Speak up and raise awareness about the increase in racism against Asian Americans."
She added the hashtags, "#spreadlove #stopasianhate #stopAAPIhate #RejectRacism #asianamerican #NoToXenophobia."
In the comment section of Moon's post, Crystal wrote, "Silence kills. We all need to speak up and support. ❤️❤️❤️."
Crystal, who will be the first Asian-American Housewife on RHOBH in the upcoming Season 11, also shared ways to support the AAPI community via an Instagram post that featured an image with the words "Very Asian and Very Proud."
She captioned the post, "Despite being the fastest growing racial and ethnic group in the country, despite consisting of 20 million people with roots in more than 20 countries, the racism, discrimination and disparities experienced by many Asian Americans are often overlooked. Asian Americans suffer from the racism of being made invisible," Crystal wrote. "Those notions, which suggest that Asian Americans are outsiders who don't face disadvantages, make it possible for them to be seen as acceptable targets — and contribute to the spate of violence seen over the past year. We will no longer be silent or invisible any more."
"Despite being the fastest growing racial and ethnic group in the country, despite consisting of 20 million people with roots in more than 20 countries, the racism, discrimination and disparities experienced by many Asian Americans are often overlooked. Asian Americans suffer from the racism of being made invisible," Crystal wrote in the post. "Those notions, which suggest that Asian Americans are outsiders who don't face disadvantages, make it possible for them to be seen as acceptable targets — and contribute to the spate of violence seen over the past year. We will no longer be silent or invisible any more."
Earlier this month, the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino released an analysis showing that while hate crimes overall dropped 7 percent in 16 of America's largest cities in 2020, anti-Asian hate crimes rose by 149 percent. Stop AAPI Hate also released its 2020-2021 national report earlier this week that revealed nearly 3,800 incidents reported to the center from March 19, 2020 to February 28, 2021, with 503 of those incidents occurring this year. The report also found that women reported hate incidents 2.3 times more than men, reports Bravo's The Daily Dish.
Tiffany opened up about raising awareness of hate crimes against the AAPI community amid the pandemic during an interview with the Dallas-based ABC affiliate WFAA that ran on March 16. "Like, what is going to come of this tragedy? And the answer for me, at least, was to increase awareness and to talk about it and not just sweep it under the rug," she shared. "It's like I always say, 'Lead with love and laughter, never with hate.'"
In the wake of three shootings in the Atlanta area on March 16 in which six of the eight people killed were Asian women, Crystal wrote on Instagram, "I’m feeling paralyzed today. But I won’t stay silent." "My heart was ripped out of my chest yesterday," she also wrote. "I am grieving today along with all my Asian brothers and sisters. Please take your time and mourn, and try and remember how valuable and loved you are."
Officials are still investigating the motive in the shootings, according to NBC News.
Photo Credit: Courtesy via Tiffany Moon/Instagram; Courtesy via Crystal Kung-Minkoff/Instagram
