Korean American entrepreneur Alice Kim has started a campaign to help get people talking about the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
More than 9,000 hate incidents against people of this community have been reported in the U.S. since the pandemic started, according to the nonprofit Stop AAPI Hate.
As founder of PerfectDD, a direct-to-consumer company that promotes body positivity and sells tops for large-chested women, Kim has teamed up with her actress friend Lindsay Price for the initiative. Launched Tuesday, the #SpeakUpSpeakOut collection features limited edition sweatshirts, with all of the net proceeds benefiting Heart of Dinner, a New York-based nonprofit that has provided more than 80,000 meals to elderly Asians.
The timing of the launch coincides with National Nonprofit Day and the collection is available through PerfectDD’s online site. The sweatshirts retail for $95 and $195.
Kim, who serves as chief executive officer, said, “Asians are known to be quiet and submissive. It’s important to share our story so we thought, ‘Want to Hear a Story?’ would evoke just that.”
Kim wants the tagline to be a conversation starter, whether that be a personal one about the Asian experience or just to say that you are supporting an initiative. With that in mind, the hashtag #SpeakUpSpeakOut was created to encourage members of the community to speak up.
Price, who has appeared in ”Beverly Hills, 90210,” and “Lipstick Jungle,” among other roles, noted that in the film and television industry “it has been obvious that Asian stories were only visible in the supporting and ancillary characters we are cast in. Times are finally changing, and we need to step into the moment.”
Price said, “I want to encourage our community to share the beauty and pain of their stories loud and proud and to take up the space they deserve rather than staying silent and small.” She added that “the only way to end the stereotypes and hate is to understand, relate and connect with one another.”
By: rosemaryfeitelberg
