Right On!- Social Justice Art Walk against Anti-Asian Hate in Sacramento
By Ras H. Siddiqui
The Right On! movement is indeed unique. It has been highlighting hate against the Asian American community since its incubation in 2020, a year during which the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement also gathered momentum.
Hate crimes and discrimination against Asians have been rising lately and the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic certainly did not help. It suddenly dawned on some haters in this country that all Asians came to the US from the city of Wuhan, China and were somehow to be blamed for the virus! Reports of anti-Asian hate crimes became common just like anti-Muslim (and anti-Sikh) hate stared us all in the face after 9/11. At that time Asians stood with us (especially the Japanese American community) and said that it was wrong to hold an entire religion responsible for the acts of a few misguided individuals. Today we stand with our Asian brothers and sisters in this country because we too are Asian, as are almost 60% of the people that live on this planet.
The leader of the Right On! effort, Angie Eng and associate Jason Jong contacted Pakistan Link and asked us a couple of months ago to join them for an Art Walk in downtown Sacramento. The walk was going to be held on March 25, 2023, during Ramadan (which started on March 23 rd) so we could not guarantee full participation. But this reporter made it a point to be there to show solidarity with Asians on behalf of Muslims and Pakistanis at this event.
Right On! had a unique approach here. Clearly visible on the attire of most of the (167) individual walkers/marchers were art posters marking the dates that the US Supreme Court has historically passed decisions that have targeted Asians living in America (from 1850 to 2022). And the June 26th, 2018, decision on the Muslim Ban was included.
Angie Eng had this to say after the event: “It was very moving to return home to Sacramento to unite with the Asian American, Pacific Islander (AAPI) community for the 'Right On! Social justice art walk.' I met so many dedicated AAPI community leaders in the past five months to organize this performance for Sacramento. Despite our differences even within the AAPI community, we ultimately want more unity. The fact that I work independent of local affiliation may have helped in bringing the 40 diverse groups to participate in an art performance in a very short amount of time.”
Reflecting back on her life, Angie added: “When I grew up in Meadowview, South Sacramento, hate crimes against Asians were weekly occurrences for me and my family and we did not have the safety, resources, or support to speak out against violence and outright racism toward us and the Asian community. Three decades later there are so many leaders and AAPI organizations to promote justice and equality. If we can create more solidarity events, we can raise awareness of sources of violence and advocate for more equality and inclusivity together. I firmly believe that art is a peaceful and inspirational strategy to spark social transformation.”
Explaining further Ms Eng said: “It is not just a project to fight against Asian hate. The Right On! paintings addressed our civil rights and discrimination based on race, ethnicity, nationality, class, gender, and ability. It focused on court cases targeting Asians in America due to a Stop Asian Hate initiative from CU Boulder. Because so much coordination and time went into that event in October 2022, I wanted to expand it and take it to other cities. It made sense I do it in Sacramento where I grew up. Since October 2022, I've dedicated my time, energy, and money to Right On! a type of design we call in the art world, 'Socially Engaged Art.' I'd love it if other organizations would like to replicate the form and promote more justice. The project is successful once it inspires other groups to lead and use artistic strategies to unify for peace and justice.”
The walk itself was very tastefully done, as the group congregated and marched out from the area in front of the Robert T. Matsui US Courthouse and Federal Building on 501 I Street in downtown Sacramento. They fanned out, splitting up and then seemed to converge near the California State Capitol. Not a word was spoken. They marched to the sound of many different drums or percussion instruments from Asia. It was very easy to make out the sound of the Punjabi Dhol here. Otherwise, in their silence, the marchers said all that they needed to say. Although this reporter left the walk near the Capitol area, I believe that it ended back at the Matsui building.
To conclude, discrimination and hate against Asians must stop in this country. We are an integral part of the United States as a whole and California in particular. Asians have been here since the 1800’s. At this walk, the skin-toned colored plaques on the front of black T-shirts each with a date and a QR code on the back (tech must be included now) marked major legal milestones for us in this country. And while we should speak up for our legal rights here in America, we hope to see an improvement in the rights of people in the countries where many of us came from too.
