CHERRY HILL, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — The Asian American Alliance in South Jersey is standing up against hate with a rally and march this weekend. Their goal is to break the barrier of silence.
"These incidents are under-reported in our community," said Nina Gao, president of the alliance, about anti-Asian hate crimes. She cited several reasons for the silence.
"One is the language barrier," she explained. "We have many first-generation Asian Americans living in South Jersey. Many of them are not familiar with the reporting system of hate crime or any other discrimination cases."
"Also," she added, "some of the members are very afraid of retaliation after reporting and they don't really know the legal system well here."
To counter that, her organization and close to a dozen others are showing support to the Asian community with a rally Saturday at the Cherry Hill Library, followed by a march down Kings Highway.
"This event will help them to understand the process better to feel more comfortable to speak up," Gao said.
After hearing from Cherry Hill Mayor Susan Shin Angulo and other elected officials, residents will be given information on where they can go if they witness, or are a victim of bias or a hate crime.