#StopAsianHate: Sandra Oh, Olivia Munn, and Trevor Noah among those speaking out against hate crimes

Here’s why and how A-list stars are standing by Asians in America

From left to right: Gemma Chan, Trevor Noah and Olivia Munn are speaking out against Asian American hate crimes following the Atlanta Spa shooting.

The Atlanta Spa shootings, which caused the death of six Asian women, sent shockwaves through America last week.

In its wake, a number of high-profile names are standing by the Asian American community.

Here’s a look at some of the celebrities who are doing their part – by condemning the attack, offering solidarity, sharing their stories or posting about resources that could help.

Sandra Oh

Sandra Oh made an appearance at a Stop Asian Hate protest in Pittsburgh, where she gave a passionate speech and said she was "proud to be Asian". The Killing Eve actress, 49, spoke to a crowd of masked people on the streets and declared her support for the Asian American community during a time when violence against them has been on the rise.

“Pittsburgh, I am so happy and proud to be here with you, and thank you to all the organisers for organising this just to give us an opportunity to be together and to stand together and to feel each other,” she said, according to a report by CBS Pittsburgh.

“For many of us in our community, this is the first time we are even able to voice our fear and our anger, and I really am so grateful to everyone willing to listen.”

Oh spoke for around two minutes and led the crowd in a chant. She also encouraged community members to reach out to each other in times of need.

Olivia Munn

Olivia Munn describes herself as a proud Asian American on her Twitter bio. Getty Images / AFP

The Newsroom star and "proud Asian American", as her Twitter bio states, has repeatedly spoken out against anti-Asian rhetoric in the past.

Since the Atlanta Spa shooting, she has shared a number of tweets that offer information, solidarity and resources, and even gone on to do interviews with news channels to condemn the shooting.

Trevor Noah

Trevor Noah made a statement on The Daily Show. AP

The Daily Show host slammed claims that the shootings weren't racially charged.

"Your murders speak louder than your words," the South African comedian said in a segment.

"This guy blamed a specific race of people for his problems and then murdered them because of it. If that's not racism then the word has no meaning."

Daniel Dae Kim

Daniel Dae Kim called for counselling for victims of hate crimes.

Actor Daniel Dae Kim, of Lost and Hawaii Five-O fame, in a recent congressional hearing called on politicians to pass legislation that would fund groups providing counselling to victims of hate crimes, as well as improve data collection for hate crime reporting.

"What happens right now and over the course of the coming months will send a message for generations to come as to whether we matter, as to whether the country we call home chooses to erase us or include us," Kim, who was born in South Korea, said.

Ashley Park

The Emily in Paris star posted an emotional video in which she mentions the "number of times when she was asked where she is from before asked what her name" is, highlighting "the undervaluing that does".

“Some of these 5am ramblings are very personal, but I decided to share because enough is enough,” she posted in the caption. “I hope this helps someone feel not so alone in all this muck. Allies, thank you and please watch til end, this is societal programming that we can change.”

Lana Condor

The actress, who stars in the hit teen movie To All the Boys I've Loved Before and was born in Vietnam, encouraged everyone on Twitter to check in on their Asian friends.

“Wake up... your Asian friends and family are deeply scared, horrified, sick to their stomachs and wildly angry. Please, please, please check in on us, please, please, please stand with us. Please. Your Asian friend needs you, even if they aren’t publicly grieving on social media.”

Rihanna

The Umbrella singer tweeted to her 102.5 million followers: "What happened yesterday in Atlanta was brutal, tragic and is certainly not an isolated incident by any means. AAPI hate has been rampantly perpetuated and it's disgusting! I'm heartbroken for the Asian community and my heart is with the loved ones of those we lost. The hate must stop."

Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande asked for media to be held accountable. Reuters

The Thank U, Next singer shared a call-out on Instagram Stories, asking for the media to be held accountable, and to stop calling racially charged attacks "incidents" and to start calling them hate crimes.

Padma Lakshmi

The Indian-American author, model and chef put out a statement showing her solidarity with the Asian community.

“A racist attack against one if us is an attack against all of us,” she tweeted before sharing the hashtag #StopAsianHate.

John Legend

The All of Me singer sent out a tweet condemning the attack, a day after it took place, in reply to American writer and social commentator Roxane Gay.

“Absolutely horrible," he wrote. "Sending love to all the loved ones of those whose lives were taken. Our nation needs to reckon with the increased threats being directed at our Asian-American brothers and sisters."

Mindy Kaling

Mindy Kaling made a powerful statement against hate crime. Reuters

"The targeting of our Asian brothers and sisters is sickening but not surprising given the normalising of anti-Asian hate speech in the past year. We have to #StopAsianHate," The Office star tweeted.

On Saturday, the actress, whose parents are Indian, also shared a photo of herself wearing a T-shirt that says "Asian American Girl Club", adding that she "couldn't be prouder" in the caption.

Gemma Chan

The Crazy Rich Asians star put up a long post on Instagram condemning the attack.

“Racism and misogyny are not mutually exclusive. In fact, sexualised racial harassment and violence is something that many of us face regularly. We need to stop the dehumanisation of Asians. We need to stop the scapegoating of Asians for Covid. We need to unite against all forms of hate,” she posted.

She also posted on how people could support Georgia's AAPI community. Stop AAPI Hate is a nonprofit organisation that tracks incidents of hate and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the US.

George Takei

The actor best known for his role as Hikaru Sulu in the TV series Star Trek had some strong words for those who did not believe the Atlanta Spa shootings were racially motivated.

“Whether the killer went in with intent to kill Asian women or he just happened to go to three different Asian establishments, miles apart, with intent to kill those inside doesn’t change the racial nature of these murders” he tweeted.

“The best thing you can do today is to speak out against violence toward Asians in this country, especially if you yourself are not Asian.”

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