Race has shaped our lives throughout history and continues to do so to this day. As many in America and in Chicago seek new awareness about race, it is important now more than ever to be educated on and to shed light on modern racism, particularly amid a spike in anti-Asian discrimination and hate crimes.
In the videos below, members of the Asian American Pacific Islander communities in the Chicago area recount personal incidents of racism and microaggressions they've experienced. Several discussed both how these events have impacted them and how we can move forward.
Watch, learn and empower others.
For complete coverage of NBC 5's ongoing Race in Chicago series, click here.
Lanialoha Lee is a native Hawaiian, born and raised in the Chicago area, who serves as the executive director of the Aloha Center Chicago, an organization that aims to preserve Hawaiian culture in the Midwest.
"It's one thing to say aloha. All that means, everything embedded in that, ha is the breath of life," she said, calling the increase in anti-Asian attacks "crazy" to see. "To sit there and witness the attack against others and to not call for assistance... we're not living by aloha if we're ignoring that."
"Courage is something that everyone can look to and courage may be the only thing we've got to stand against this," she added.
