A statement from YR Media’s CEO Kyra Kyles on recent outbreaks of violence and historic racism against the AAPI community
It is saddening and disturbing that in this day and age, it needs to be publicly stated that racism is unacceptable. Following a renewed outpouring of protest in 2020 due to the unjust deaths and killings of Black people at the hands of police and self-appointed vigilantes, we must now take to the streets and raise our voices for members of the AAPI community who are being targeted, attacked, bloodied and even murdered by bigots and White supremacists.
AAPI hate and racism are not new and deeply rooted in American history. Making matters worse, these actions were effectively sanctioned by politicians, most recently at the highest level, whose unabashed war on the underrepresented is now a matter of historic record. It is disappointing to see other media outlets continue to apply milquetoast terminology to the patently racist, misogynistic attack on Asian American women in Atlanta, yet it is not surprising. It has always been more convenient for those with privilege to downplay and question racism rather than work to obliterate it.
YR Media stands in solidarity with our AAPI staff, youth content creators and the larger national community. At the same time, we vow to take specific actions to eradicate racism and otherism. Through our reporting, we will call a thing a thing, for example, and continue to hire and provide a platform for young people from underrepresented communities and groups to be heard by millions across this country and beyond. We encourage other organizations and individuals to use whatever platforms or tools they have to fight the common enemy of White supremacy. We should not have to take a public stand against what should be easily recognized as a tremendous wrong, but until we see significant change, we are happy to make our views and more importantly, our actions against racism a matter of public record.