Photo Credit: Mark Young

This is Why We Fight

Dave Lu
3 min readApr 2, 2021

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Today, I received this message on LinkedIn from someone I didn’t know. It almost brought me to tears given the emotional roller coaster of this week. Reading these words gives me and many others strength and motivation to keep up the fight. It reminds me that the work we are doing is making a difference. Marching and fighting for Asian lives or Black lives and equality may sometimes feel pointless to some. But we cannot let those who are ignorant make us feel less than or foreign, because then they win. When they say hateful things like “Go back to your country!”, we will respond with strength and remind them that “This is our country.” There are more of us real Americans who believe that ALL men and women are created equal, than there are who believe that Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness only belongs to some. Thank you Zoey from everyone who chooses to take a stand that others are watching and taking note.

Hi Dave,

I just want to sincerely thank you for leading the movement to speak out on behalf of our AAPI community.

Last year, someone made a racist remark at me when I was 38-week pregnant. I was speechless and did not know how to react or if it was safe to react. Meanwhile, my green card application has been stuck for more than 1 year. Contacting USCIS or local officials did not help at all. Over the past few weeks, I was in fear, anger, and despair when I saw attacks after attacks against the AAPI community, but majority of the media chose to stay silent. I made donations, shared articles on social media, actively discussed with others about our current situation. But our pain seems to be just our pain, most people outside the AAPI community don’t seem to care.

I was seriously discussing with friends and family about moving to a different country since this country sends a clear message: “You are not welcome here”. I realize how ridiculous this is, why “we” — the victims, need to leave? But if I don’t feel comfortable going out by myself, or taking my baby outside the house, then there is no reason to stay.

Then my decision changed last night. I read the article published on WSJ, and it literally brought tears into my eyes, not only because I could relate to the pain, but also for the first time since 2020, I started to feel hopeful again. Thank you and other influential leaders for stepping in and speaking out. I am hopeful that this time, our voice will be heard by the mainstream media, and our society will start to see some change.

Now I don’t plan to run away to a different country, but decide to stay here, stand with our AAPI community, fight against racism and bigotry, and fight for a better society for the next generation of Asian Americans.

Thank you for again for your courage, generosity, and leadership.

Best,

Zoey

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Dave Lu

Managing Partner @ Hyphen Capital. Proud Taiwanese-American dad. Passionate about marketplaces and communities.