The following is the transcript of the AYLUS Basking Ridge speech by Sarah Ouyang, Juliet Bu and Stephanie Lu.
SO: Hello everyone, we are the Basking Ridge branch of the Alliance of Youth Leaders in the U.S. I’m Sarah.
JB: I’m Juliet.
SL: I’m Stephanie.
[applause]
SO: Our branch traditionally focuses on spreading joy throughout the community through music, whether by holding musical performances or by releasing virtual concerts, as we have recently been doing during the pandemic. However, today, instead of our instruments, we’re reaching out to the community with our voices. In an organization where the alliance of members is the primary focus and giving back to the community is the principal mission, we value inclusion and harmony above all else. And we know (and we’re hopeful because we know) that we’re not the only ones. Just the audience in front of us alone proves this. We would not be youth leaders without the people who follow us, and people would not follow us if they did not believe in the same world we do: a world where we are all united by the beautiful things we’re passionate about (music, for example); a world where the community gives and unites rather than takes and divides; a world where people recognize that hate is the real virus and love is the cure.
[applause]
SO: Like Serena, we believe in the harmony of voices that supports the melody of the community. We believe in including as many voices as possible in this harmony until everyone is not just heard but listened to. Thank you for listening.
[applause]
JB: Hi everyone, I’m Juliet. The recent spike in AAPI hate is extremely disheartening but we must recognize that anti-Asian racism has been in America long before the coronavirus pandemic began. In fact, some famous historical exclusion legislation such as the Chinese Exclusion Act and Japanese Internment show a long background of anti-asian sentiment in society. The recent mass shooting in Atlanta is yet another painful reminder of the consequential impacts of ignoring the existence of anti-asian racism. We must take action and hold our country accountable. A “bad day” should never be an excuse for an evil, racist, hate crime.
[applause]
JB: We need to protect our community from violent attacks. We need to ensure that the events in Atlanta are never repeated. We must speak up and stand up for our fellow Asian-Americans. We can fight hate and racism, but only together.
[applause]
SL: Hi everyone, I’m Stephanie. By coming together, sharing our stories, helping and inspiring others, we can battle the Anti-Asian atrocities that have silently been continuing for centuries. The first step of this process is gathering here today, to show we are all here for and with each other. We urge everyone to speak up, talk to and educate others, and acknowledge the events that have been happening. As mentioned before, we value inclusion and harmony, and by showing the support we have for one another, our fight against AAPI violence becomes stronger. We are the future generation – our actions now shape what will happen in the future; change begins with us. Through our words and actions, unity and leadership, perseverance and determination, we can combat the AAPI hate. Thank you!
[applause]
