A second rally in two days was held Sunday in Koreatown calling for an end to the rising violence against the Asian American Pacific Islander community.
The “Faith Leaders Solidarity Rally Against AAPI Hate” was held Sunday at Seoul International Park, part of a series of 14 prayer rallies across the nation. The rallies were held to give participants the opportunity to process the pain, pray for healing, practice repentance and proclaim the dignity and sacredness of life, organizers said.
“Asian American Christians have a rich but seemingly forgotten history of social action and engagement,” said Raymond Chang, president of the Asian American Christian Collaborative, which is organizing the rallies.
“Most historic Asian American churches often focused on both proclaiming the message of the gospel and advocating for social justice. In response to all that has taken place, Asian American Christians are looking to find ways to put feet to their faith by gathering to stand for AAPI lives and dignity and to tell the world that Asian lives have value and worth.”
A “Stop Asian Hate” solidarity march was held Saturday in Koreatown followed by what organizers billed as a “free speech rally.”
The march was led by a youth troupe of drummers, beginning at 11 a.m. at Olympic Boulevard and Berendo Street, headed west on Olympic Boulevard, concluding at Normandie Avenue, where the rally was held.
Hundreds marched carried signs with such phrases as “Stop Killing Asians,” “Keep My Grandma Safe!” “Enough is Enough” and “Hate is a Virus.”
Speakers at the rally included Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, Rep. Judy Chu, D-Monterey Park, the chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Los Angeles City Controller Ron Galperin, and Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell.
CNN host Lisa Ling asked those in attendance to “find someone you don’t in this crowd and look them in the eyes and say, `I will protect you. Please protect me.”’
“There are some street vendors who are here along the side please say to them, `I will protect you.”’ Ling said. “If we maintain these threads and make sure they are unbroken we can get past all of this and really rise up together to stop Asian hate and to stop all hate.”
The march and rally were organized by the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles in partnership with 20 community-based organizations.