on
Grammy Award-nominated artist Jhené Aiko reacted to Asian hate crimes that arose during the COVID-19 by sharing the story of her Japanese American grandfather.
A few days after the news regarding Atlanta spa shootings spread, Aiko posted a photo of her defense lawyer grandfather, who “spent most of his life fighting for equality and justice for people that society had deemed as thugs and criminals,” through the official Instagram page and stated that the United States is not heaven at all for mixed-race people.
Alongside the photo, Aiko spoke out about the discrimination he faced throughout his entire life in the US:
“Grandpa Teddy was coming home from the courthouse and she was afraid he would be pulled out of his car and possibly beaten. We drove to his house as we watched buildings burn down around us. As I got older I came to learn that day was during the LA riots.”
Then the singer stated that she can’t help but think about grandpa Teddy who passed away in 2016:
“I can’t help but think about the discrimination he faced daily having a black wife and 6 biracial children. And I owe it to him to continue to fight for justice and equality for my communities as well.”
Saying that making a change and choosing love over hate is up to all of the citizens of the country Aiko, expressed that sharing the stories would help people understand each other. The ‘Sailing Souls’ hitmaker concluded:
“Not until we truly see each other can we truly stand together. We have the opportunity to stop the hate NOW“
After releasing the above-mentioned post, the 33-year-old took to her verified Instagram account multiple times to share a post related to AAPI Hate.
