By Kelly Fraenkel
Staff Writer
On April 24, Manhattan Beach families stood in solidarity with the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community by writing messages of support in driveways, windows or on social media.
With the rising number of hate crimes against Asian Americans, Manhattan Beach residents Madeline Kaplan and Diana Skaar requested that Manhattan Beach community members help to spread awareness and a message of love within the community and to neighboring towns, according to Skaar.
“By writing messages of solidarity and compassion in our driveways, it is my hope that our neighbors and friends will feel supported knowing that hate is not welcome here in Manhattan Beach,” Kaplan said.
Some of the messages that participants were encouraged to write included: “Stand Together Against Asian American Hate,” “Hate Not Tolerated Here” and “Everyone Deserves Respect.” The campaign spread to other cities and states, such as Orange County, the Bay Area, Sacramento and Oregon, where community members are spreading these messages on their sidewalks.
“As a Thai-American who has experienced racism in L.A. from as early as elementary school, I hoped that my biracial kids growing up in our beautiful community could be shielded from this,” Skaar said. “I was raised to internalize this pain, to be silent and to be strong. However, with the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes across this country, I realized that I can no longer shield my kids from racism, but need to prepare them for it.”
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