How singer Etty Lau Farrell dealt with racism in the US growing up after her family emigrated from Hong Kong, and her musical career
- Etty Lau Farrell, co-organiser of the Lollapalooza music festival, wants to use her fame to draw awareness to the rise in hate crimes targeting Asian-Americans
- ‘I was looked at almost as an exotic animal,’ she recalls of growing up in the US, but says what she faced was mild compared to what Asian-Americans endure now
In the 1990s, Etty Lau Farrell was part of an all-Asian dance group on tour in Houston, Texas, with a musical act. There, while waiting to get into a club, a bouncer pushed one of the girls to the ground. Two of the men in the group stood up to him – and were chased down the street by security staff wielding baseball bats.
“The next thing you know, we’re running for our lives,” recalls Farrell. “It was like something out of a movie – we literally had to jump into a van without it stopping. Back at the hotel, we called the police but they didn’t show up for a few hours. They didn’t think it was important. It was a racist hate crime, and they had better things to do.”
As a young immigrant to the United States, Farrell says she “definitely stood out”. “It was a very yuppie neighbourhood and we were one of maybe three Asian families. I was looked at almost as an exotic animal. Every stereotype was thrown at me. I tried very hard to assimilate, yet still wanted to retain parts of my own culture.”
