Recently, a close friend of the gallery and fellow poster collector was attacked after attempting to intervene in a hate crime. Thankfully, our friend survived the hate-fueled attack without any major bodily injuries. (ABC Interview)
2021 has seen a major, and completely unsettling, uptick in AAPI targeted hate and crimes, which is disgusting and unacceptable. In an effort to support our friend, and to bring more awareness to the dire situation, we’re donating to Soar Over Hate, a nonprofit initiative that seeks to “...purchase self defense devices (personal alarms, whistles and pepper spray) to vulnerable Asians in NYC, prioritizing Asian elderly, women, LGBTQ+ and low-income. So far [they] have given out 14,000 self defense devices in NYC through tabling distributions, door-to-door deliveries in elderly homes, walking distributions to essential businesses, and donations to over 20 community groups. Additionally, [they] held a community health and safety fair where [they] offered self defense classes, healthcare screening, mental health counseling, puppy therapy, live music and more.”
We’ve donated $5,000 to Soar Over Hate on behalf of our friend, and we encourage others in our wonderful art community to donate to AAPI charities as well.
As always, thanks for your constant support, and let’s try to help create a more tolerant future.