Eric Nam takes on anti-Asian racism following Atlanta murders, joining other K-pop stars like Mark of Got7, Jay Park and CL

The 32-year-old Nam, who grew up in Atlanta, has used his platform as a celebrity to raise awareness of historic anti-Asian sentiment in the United States
As well as Nam, other people in K-pop have spoken out against anti-Asian sentiment in the US, publicised campaigns, and spread the hashtag ‘Stop Asian Hate’

Anti-Asian racism

Tamar Hermanin United States

Published: 5:15pm, 23 Mar, 2021

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Singer Eric Nam grew up in Atlanta, in the US state of Georgia, before moving to Seoul, South Korea, to pursue a career in K-pop. His is one of the loudest celebrity voices speaking out against anti-Asian racism amid a rise in hate crimes in the United States.

In the wake of a gunman’s March 16 spa rampage in Atlanta that left eight people dead, including six Asian women, the 32-year-old Nam has used his platform as a celebrity to raise awareness of historic anti-Asian sentiment in the United States.

This included penning a Time magazine article titled “If You’re Surprised by the Anti-Asian Violence in Atlanta, You Haven’t Been Listening. It’s Time to Hear Our Voices”.

“As ‘perpetual foreigners’ and subjects of the model minority myth, Asians are invited but not fully integrated, or just largely ignored under the guise of being ‘OK’,” wrote Nam. “In culture and politics. As AAPIs, we have been excluded, interned, vilified, emasculated, fetishised and murdered.” AAPI stands for Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Nam has also used his social media platforms and spoken on CNN to raise awareness of, and call for action against, racism towards Asian communities in the US. He’s discussed growing up Asian in the US many times in his career, but this follows a rise in hate crimes and attacks against Asian-Americans that coincided with blame being put on China by public figures for the coronavirus pandemic.

Many prominent conservatives in the country, including former US president Donald Trump, have called Covid-19 the “Wuhan Flu” or the “China virus”, and the derogatory slur “ Kung Flu” has become a commonplace slur in the US.

As well as Nam, other people in K-pop, especially Korean-American stars, have spoken out against anti-Asian sentiment in the US, publicised charitable campaigns and spread the hashtag “Stop Asian Hate”.

Mark Tuan of Got7, who recently moved back to California from Seoul after the band left their former company JYP Entertainment, shared a post calling for an end to hatred and violence in the US that read: “We are all human beings who deserve to live without fearing that the colour of our skin challenges our safety in America.”.

Hip-hop artist and entertainment company founder Jay Park, who hails from Seattle, took to Instagram, writing: “ #StopAsianHate lend a hand or your voice. Check up on your Asian homies and their families. What’s happening is not OK. Spread Love not hate.”.

Other artists associated with K-pop, American and otherwise, have used their platforms to speak up against hate aimed at AAPI communities, including Tablo, CL, P1Harmony, Alexa, and Holland.