Annc: Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld, LLP focusing on business law and commercial litigation is proud to support Rob on the Road Region Rising.

More information available at murphyaustin.com.

Annc: And now Rob on the Road exploring Northern California.

Rob: I am thrilled to introduce you to Janice O'’Malley Galizio with OCA.

Janice is on the board of directors, and it's great to see you.

Thanks for joining us on Rob at Home, Janice.

Janice: Hi, great to be here.

Rob: Good to see you.

Tell us quickly about OCA.

Janice: Well, OCA Sacramento, um, is part of a national organization, OCA National.

Uh, originally, we were the, uh, organization of Chinese Americans founded in the 1970s, uh, in response to creating, uh, an Asian-focused civil rights movement.

And, uh, we've brought in now to be OCA Asian Pacific American advocates, where we try to, uh, empower, uh, empower communities, uh, all across the United States.

Rob: The number of anti-Asian American hate crimes was already through the roof in 2020.

And it has doubled in new reports that are coming out from top Asian hate.

And I'm talking about in the thousands, some reports show up to 6,000 incidents in one year alone, and we're talking verbal, physical.

These are types of assaults.

I can't imagine how that sits with you as an advocate.

Janice: Well, it's... it's hard to see those numbers visually, but also knowing that those are just the folks who know to report at Stop AAPI Hate.

Right?

Uh, we know that this has been happening for a long time but has really shown its face in the past year.

And it is... it is difficult and OCA, uh, we saw this very early on.

We knew what was w-- what was going to transpire, you know, you could almost feel it in the air.

Um, you know, at the beginning of 2020, um, prior to all the shutdowns, uh, we would have our board of director meetings and, you know, we would talk about different experiences we've had, uh, over the past few weeks and, um, we're noticing scowls on people's faces when they look at us.

And... and so what we did is in response, we thought, okay, let's educate our community on how to report hate crimes before... before there was a massive story or something really awful or violent happening in the United States.

And so, we held a forum in person, um, right before the shutdown at Sacramento State and we talked about the virus, what we knew of the virus, how to protect ourselves.

Uh, and we brought law enforcement as well to talk about whether or not there have been, uh, hate crimes or hate incidents, uh, within the region.

And just so that it was on their radar, that this is something that the community is really focused on at the moment.

Um, and so that was really helpful.

But what we heard from law enforcement was, "“Ah, you know, we're such a great city, nothing has happened so far.

"” Uh, and, and we knew that wasn't the case.

So, um...

Rob: Did you yourself see scowls, as you mentioned?

You said you could almost feel it in the air.

You said you could feel it in the air.

Janice: Yes, absolutely.

Um, you know, I would go out running just to get out the house and a car would pass by and, you know, you'd get a dirty look or, you know, walking down the street, walking my dog in the neighborhood and... and someone, um, makes it plainly obvious that they're shifting their mask because they're, I'm walking by and they're shaking their head at me.

And I'm thinking, what did I jus-I'm just walking the dog.

I don't know what I did wrong.

Rob: ...would you say that happened?

First of all, one time is inexcusable.

How often did you see something like this?

Janice: Um, you know, I would say it was a-- it's... it's a handful of times over the past year.

But really, um, it really, I noticed it really started to happen during the beginning parts of the shutdown, um, from when the initial shutdown and then back in November, December when the governor, uh, shut down, um, the state again.

Rob: Under the previous administration, um, did you feel the effects of the way coronavirus was described all the way from the White House?

Janice: Absolutely.

Rob: Did you see a difference in the way you were treated because it was described in a certain way from the White House in the previous administration?

Janice: Yes.

And I...

I guess that's... that's... that's what I mean by, you know, you feel it in the air, right?

Because it... it... it did-- it was our leader at the time who was dismissing things, calling it the Kung flu, uh, and it-- I didn't realize just how much-- I knew I was anxious, I knew that, um, that in some way I felt some sort of fear, um, every time I stepped out the house.

But I try not to dwell on that, but it really wasn't until, um, President Biden was inaugurated that it was almost like the sense of relief and release just came over me, uh, in a way that I...

I didn't realize how much I was internalizing that fear and anxiety.

And, uh, actually had a panic attack right before... right before the inauguration, just feeling this overwhelming sense of, um, wanting... wanting this to be over, wanting to feel like I was a rightful citizen of this country and that we can move forward, uh, together.

Rob: It's PTSD.

Janice: Yes.

Rob: Plain and simple.

I feel like that's what you may have had a panic attack from.

Janice: Yeah, absolutely.

Rob: Um, you know, I'm curious what sparked in you at such a young age.

You know, you've been on the board of directors for OCA for four years, um, and you're a lobbyist at the Capitol when it-- involving labor.

But I'm curious what at a young age sparked you to have this drive to want to serve and... and here as you'’re doing on Rob at Home, put a call to action out for people to stand up to hate crimes.

Janice: Yeah, well, I hope I can just let people know who are watching, who maybe want to become an activist and don't necessarily know how or where to even start.

Um, it... it really starts from just a... just a passion of... of furthering this... this privilege and legacy that my family has given me.

Um, my mother is a Korean immigrant.

Um, and on my dad's side, my grandmother is both Irish and Filipina and, um, they weren't given many opportunities.

They, they grew up in poverty, but when they, um, had children and had the opportunity to... to provide for us, they made it incredibly important.

It was their mission to ensure that I had received the proper education that I...

I-- that they knew that the legacy of my ancestors wouldn't disappear.

And so, my mother would, um-- I would sometimes see the same scowls that I saw walking down the street with my dog.

I would see the same scowls given to my mother.

And at first-- Rob: When you were a child.

Janice: As a child.

Um, and at first you... you see that and you kind of internalize it and you think, "“Gosh, I don't...

I don't want to be different from everybody else.

I don't, I don't want to be seen as a... as a foreigner.

"” Um, but then as... as I got older and realized the richness of my culture, my heritage, that I don't want to see what happened to my mom happen to her again or happen to anybody.

And so, if... if there's-- who else is going to do it?

Rob: Then fast forward to 2020 and you see xenophobia, bigotry, racism, um, hate crimes, uh, rearing their heads and knowing what you knew as a child.

And you saw people standing up for what is right.

And then you'll see wrong things happening again, and to your own community.

Janice: It's... it was so hard to process.

Uh, you know, you would see the trickle of... of hate incidents come in.

You would see it on the media.

And as there was a big push in the media, to... to have them report on the hate crimes that were happening, uh, all across the country, then that was like a dual edged sword.

Right?

Because then it was this influx of this horrific violence, especially against, you know, it first started with our elders and... and I think us young APIs realized that once they started going after our elders, uh, these... these individuals who would sacrifice so much for us to be here knowing our stories.

We may come from different cultures and identities, but, you know, I couldn't help but think the first individual in Oakland, um, I think it was a Thai man, uh, who was shuffling down the street when he was violently pushed to the ground.

That's how my grandfather walked.

Right.

And I had these images of... of thinking that could have been my grandfather.

Uh, and... and then when the murders in Atlanta happened, that was crushing.

Um, they went after our moms, um, and our aunties.

And-- Rob: And then you saw how that was misreported and people who worked in these locations were mislabeled.

Did you see that?

Janice: Oh, yeah.

Rob: So that even cuts deeper.

Janice: Yeah.

You know, I don't think, as I said before, the Asian community is made up of a rich, diverse group of cultures and identities.

But I don't think that any Asian woman at that point, when they saw that violence done against those women and the reasons behind the murderer'’s, um, actions that we didn't think about the things in our past that occurred to us that we probably haven't told anybody about.

Um, it was our reckoning.

Uh, we had to reckon with the fact that, um, there is this misogyny and this hyper-sexualization of Asian women, and I really just wanted to crumple up, to be honest.

That it was so hard to see all of that unfold.

And then for them to initially come out and say that it wasn't a hate crime.

Uh, it was... it was just devastating.

Rob: I want to read you something.

You talked about, um, ancestors and... and the horrible thing we saw, um, and Oakland with the elder.

And I know the deep respect for ancestors.

And I want to read you something that I found, and by the way, I do want to say in Atlanta, thank goodness that was reclassified as a hate crime, and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Janice: Yes.

Rob: Um, in Texas, the University of Texas Psychology Department released this quote to it's um, psychiatry department doctors.

Okay.

It says, "“University of Texas Psych-—Psychology: While some Asian patients may report changes to their mood or their mental health voluntarily..."” And this is about the impact of that knowing it's in the wind.

Okay.

Um, "“...the vast majority of Asian Americans will likely remain silent"” And that, "“...there's still a strong belief that mental illness is a character defect and a weakness.

"” Breaks my heart to read that out loud because it's not a character defect, it's not a weakness.

And it's not a burden either to come forward and say, "“This happened to me and I need your help.

"” And it must stop.

And people around situations like this must step up and help carry our brothers and sisters to the truth, to the light and get help.

Janice: Well, I'm really glad that you mentioned that Rob, because, uh, at OCA, we have, um, had a couple of forums on-- Actually, and during mental health awareness week, uh, we always try to do something, um, even before, um, the... the COVID crisis since, um, the violence against Asian- Americans.

Uh, because it's so important for our community to know that it's okay to seek help.

Um, we are trying to process so much, uh, so much trauma.

The pandemic has brought job loss, food insecurity, and, um, I think it's so important that we not try to act like... like we're strong or when we're... when we're feeling down or we're not feeling as strong.

And I really hope that, um, my fellow APIs, uh, understands that... that we can reach out to each other.

And in fact, I've never seen, um, so much support, um, come in more so than after the, um, the violence in, at, in Atlanta.

I had friends and family and colleagues reach out to me just to check in, to see if I were okay.

And that's the first start.

Right?

And, uh, that touched me.

I...

I that was really important, even if I said, "“No, I'm fine.

I'm okay.

"” Uh, it meant a lot that I had friends and family reach out to ask if I were okay.

Rob: What is your... your hope for just this day?

Um, in regards to a message that you would like for... for others to hear, um, and it can be about anything to do with what we've discussed or... or not.

What must be shared?

Janice: Well, I think this is our, this is our moment as... as Asian Americans, uh, to get involved, to build community and to hold our elected leaders accountable.

Uh, we, we have suffered a lot during this past year, and you don't have to be this incredible activist that's out there going to all the rallies and, um, being this major speaker.

It... it starts with going to a food drive, going to a food distribution.

Uh, it's volunteering.

It's um, talking to your elected leaders.

It's um, getting involved with organizations like OCA Sacramento and, um, it's finding what you're really passionate about and learning the system and finding a way to connect your... your hurt, your pain, your suffering, and... and turn it into a positive experience to become active and to enact change yourself.

Rob: That is very well said because when we internalize our suffering and pain, um, it... it grows, it becomes all encompassing.

And when we open up and talk about it, others can help us carry that into that place of advocacy.

Um, and... and that is a shift that I hope people can feel in their lives.

Um, and you've felt it in your life.

What's it feel like on the other side of seeing the things you saw as a child, as well as the past year into the advocacy?

What did it do for you mentally?

Janice: You can't help it just sort of think back, um, about your experiences, right?

I-- you know, what's fantastic about this month being Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is that there's this real push from the community to educate others about our history and the people and the histories that are-- that weren't told or weren't taught in schools.

And there was a great quote by Min Jin Lee, she's a Korean American author who, um, who I've been following on Twitter and she's been using her platform to really talk about the Asian American experience and to promote activism.

And she said, "“It's our legacy and privilege to create change.

"” It's our legacy, it's our privilege to create change.

And that... that really resonated with me because, uh, my, my mom, my ancestors, my grandmother maybe didn't have a voice or weren't given opportunities to feel empowered.

And so, it's my responsibility to continue that or to... to make sure that, uh, that the tools I've been given can... can help other people.

Rob: And it's everybody's responsibility to ensure that we all walk hand in hand in doing so.

That we join and stand by anyone in distress.

Um, and I mean that either emotionally or out in public, when you see a situation happening, um, get involved, help people and... and walk hand in hand with someone literally across the street.

Janice: Yeah, we can't... we can't do this alone.

We need our allies.

We need our other brothers and sisters of color.

Uh, we need to stand up against this because for too long, we, um, we let this happen and, uh, we need to take a stance.

The Asian American community has really been pushing, uh, the reporting hotlines, which I think is why you've seen such a, an increase in numbers of, uh, hate incidents and hate crimes being reported.

Uh, the California legislature, uh, provided more funding for the Stop AAPI Hate website.

Uh, and they're trying to create a statewide hotline to report hate crimes and hate incidents.

So, it's, um, it's really important that... that we do this because it may be scary.

We may not necessarily trust law enforcement to... to take action and do the right thing necessarily.

But when you report a hate crime or a hate incident, you... you may be able to empower others to speak out against what has happened.

And, uh, and it's important for law enforcement to see these numbers, to understand that, um, they may not be reporting things to you, but this is happening in our community and... and you need to be aware of this.

Rob: And when you are a victim to a situation like this, um, it's important to tell as many people as you can, that you feel comfortable telling, um, authorities as well as advocacy groups.

And when you do so, not only do you help yourself, but you're helping races across the board.

Um, you're helping the human rights that we all deserve.

You're such a good example of making this world a better place.

And I'm so glad to have you here on Rob at Home.

Is there anything else you want to talk about?

Janice: I really appreciate this... this opportunity to... to have this discussion with you.

It... it... it shows that, um, that people are paying attention that, uh, our voices are hopefully are respected and heard and that we can all come together in unity to... to stop these Asian hate crimes.

Rob: And we cannot stay silent.

Janice: No, we can't.

Rob: We were given a voice for a reason.

Thank you so much.

It's great to see you.

Um, and Janice, I just appreciate your time here on Rob at Home.

OCA is your organization, four years on board of directors.

And it's great to see you here.

Thanks for joining us.

Janice: Thank you, Rob.

♪♪ Annc: Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld, LLP, focusing on business law and commercial litigation is proud to support Rob on the Road Region Rising.

More information available at murphyaustin.com.