As the COVID pandemic brought the conversation of racial disparities to the forefront in new ways, so did we.

TheModelMinority.com is a website that highlights past and current examples of Black and Asian solidarity. The idea came to Ephraim Adamz after writing and recording the song "Stop Asian Hate / Solidarity" as a form of peaceful protest. The song and website was launched during May in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The landing page is in its early stages, but over time will be packed with content to move the movement forward. The mission is to curate a hub of information that embraces the unity between the two communities in a way that is both intersectional and affirming. When participants arrive at the homepage the first thing they will see is a welcome greeting from transgender rights activist Gia Gunn of RuPual's Drag Race. 

Check out the song in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

"Stop Asian Hate / Yellowface by Ephraim Adamz protests racism and cultural appropriation towards Asian people. The spoken-word portion at the beginning discusses the lack of unity between different groups of people who are subjected to oppression. The lyrics then focus on specific issues faced by Asian people, including fetishization and sexualization stereotypes.

The chorus emphasizes the message to stop Asian hate and find a way to work together towards equality. There is a use of code-switching in the verses highlighting how Asian people are often reduced to caricatures in the media. The lyrics challenge why people feel the need to appropriate cultures they do not understand, and calls for an end to colorism and skin-bleaching in the Asian community.

Themes also highlight the ways in which systemic racism tries to put different ethnic groups against each other, specifically noting the false "beef" between Black and Asian people. The instrumental outro allows for a moment of reflection.

METAPHORS & NEED TO KNOW:

Stop Asian Hate (protest against anti-Asian discrimination) 

Yellowface (mockery portrayals of Asians in media)

Kayla Newman (coined the term "on fleek")

Coolie Jamaicans (Someone mixed with Black & Asian ethnicity, historically due to colonization)

Model Minority Myth (racial stereotypes)

Miss Swan (racialized character on MAD TV)

Romeo Must Die (2000 film)