Stop Asian Hate - Art as Activism: Strength, Perseverance, and Solidarity in the Asian American & Pacific Islander Community

Jennalei Louie’s human rights capstone project featured a collection of photos taken at Stop Asian Hate rallies in New York City and the Bay Area during the COVID-19 pandemic as a response to the increased frequency of hate crimes and violence toward the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Louie interprets these photos and her experience during the rallies as work inherently tied to foundational concepts in international human rights frameworks, such as the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). Louie notes how organization such as Human Rights Watch documented a global increase in anti-Asian attacks since the beginning of the pandemic, in countries such as Australia, Canada, France, Italy, New Zealand, Russia, the United Kingdom States, and the United States, despite these being countries who have ratified the CERD and have obligations to “adopt all necessary measures for speedily eliminating racial discrimination in all its forms and manifestations.” As a mechanism for education and advocacy, Louie utilizes the principals of human rights photography to illustrate the collective advocacy efforts within the AAPI community to restore hope and compassion, cultivate positive empathy, and act as a source of nourishment rather than a source of drain and depletion. Lastly, Louie also hopes to cultivate hope for the future and bring together diverse communities to address racial discrimination, specifically for Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders. Original media files missing or incomplete.