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“A riot is the language of the unheard.” -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

Communities of color have long been overlooked. The relations among them remain even more so, leaving the big picture of racial equity and healing largely obscured. This is perhaps nowhere more true than in the shared history and unresolved tension that exists between Asian-American and Black communities.

April 29 marks the tragedy of the beating of Rodney King, the acquittal of the four white LAPD officers who perpetrated it, and the devastating riots that ensued. To many Black LA residents, the state sanctioned violence against King was the final straw, a public verification of oppressive systems.

To many Coreans, April 29 is remembered as Sah-ee-ghoo. Many of the small businesses destroyed were owned by Corean immigrants and their families, who had been left by the state to fend for themselves.

The riots revealed a tension between Asian-American and Black communities that had long been simmering under the pressures of racial capitalism, militarized policing, and the mythology of the American Dream–all of which continue to work together to pit marginalized communities against one another.

Perhaps most tragically, the lack of collective reflection and reconciliation has enabled these traumas to persist and stand in the way of the healing, coalition-building, and solidarity on which a shared future of justice is built–in LA, Chicago, and beyond.

No prior knowledge or practice is required to attend, though this gathering is intended for members of the Asian-American and/or Black communities. While we know we won’t come out with all the answers, we are committed to co-creating a safe space to remember our history, share our perspectives, and get to know one another as comrades in the collective struggle for love and liberation.

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