Actor Simu Liu, who is all set to become the first Asian superhero lead in the upcoming Marvel Studios film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, has spoken up against anti-Asian speech and hate crimes. In an essay, the Chinese-Canadian actor calls out all the “bystanders and witnesses” of these crimes for not standing up for what is right. 

While quoting facts about the increase in hate crimes against Asians in the USA, especially during the pandemic, Liu expressed concern for his parents. “I worry a lot about my parents these days,” he writes to begin an essay penned for Variety, going on to highlight multiple cases of Asians becoming victims of blatant racism and hate crimes. 

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Liu has always been very open about his family’s immigration. In multiple interviews and social media posts, he has reflected upon their big move and the struggles of his parents. The Chinese-born actor immigrated to Canada at the age of five and went on to attend business school, only to later explore a career in acting that has now led to him starring as the lead of Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi film. As an ambassador for UNICEF Canada, Liu has been a part of the fight to protect vulnerable children around the world. And it seems like he is now joining another movement - to end racism against Asian people living in the western parts of the world.

He refers mostly to the case of Vicha Ratanapakdee, an 84-year-old immigrant from Thailand who lived in San Francisco, California. In January of this year, Ratanapakdee was out for a walk in his neighborhood when a 19-year-old violently knocked him to the ground. Video footage of the incident went viral on social media at the time and Ratanapakdee died two days after the attack. This resulted in Asian Americans rallying together to honor Ratanapakdee on social media and protesting against the increase in racism.

Apart from highlighting hate crimes, Liu also touched upon incidents of racism that his parents have had to endure over the years, with people mocking their accents and “the shape of their eyes." Liu himself has experienced such racism, as he claims to have been told many times to “go back to China.” To be reminded of being a foreigner in a place you consider a home has not been an easy experience, but Liu hopes that it doesn’t take the loss of more lives like Ratanapakdee before people begin to notice the true extent of the issue.  

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is scheduled to be released in theaters on July 9, 2021.

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Source: Variety