Chen Speaks Out Against Anti-Asian Racism

Kathleen Chen had seen — and heard — enough. When an 89-year-old Cantonese grandmother was slapped and set on fire in New York in July, the senior at Pasadena’s Westridge School decided to take action.
“That specific incident and other racially motivated attacks against Asians and Asian Americans due to the spread of COVID-19 set into motion what I considered the need to organize,” Chen said.
So in August, she launched Vocal Asians for Change, a youth-led movement that exists to raise awareness about anti-Asian racism and start a discussion about how to address that and other social issues, such as racial and gender equality, gun control and voting rights. “We strive to unite with the rest of the BIPOC [Black, indigenous, people of color] community to combat racism and uplift all minorities,” Chen said.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been more than 2,500 cases of racially motivated anti-Asian attacks, according to Chen.
“Yet they continue to go unnoticed on a daily basis,” she added. “We speak out against the hatred and discrimination that we have faced.” The elderly woman who was attacked in New York was able to put out the flames on her clothes and avoided serious injury.
Chen explained that Vocal Asians for Change is a movement focused on social activism rather than a club.
“As such, we do not have members; rather, we have supporters dedicated to speaking up about racism and fighting for change,” she said. The organization held a public gathering at Pasadena City Hall on Aug. 29, during which Chen facilitated a discussion about racism and voting rights.
“We also received support from Congresswoman Judy Chu, who made a video outlining the racist sentiment spread across our country,” Chen added. “She also recognizes in her video that words like ‘Chinese virus’ and ‘kung flu’ have caused incidents of racism against Asian-Americans.”

Those and other monikers have been used for the coronavirus, which is believed to have originated last year in Wuhan, China.
“We speak out against the hatred and discrimination that we have faced,” Chen said. “This organization is not limited to any demographic. Anti-Asian sentiment is rampant all across our nation, and it is never too late to speak up.”
Chen has for many years exercised her unique voice. At Westridge, she serves as editor of the school’s yearbook, is head and founder of Taiwanese Affinity, is a member of Chinese Affinity, captains the Tigers’ varsity volleyball squad and is a student ambassador.
Outside of school, Chen has launched Jia Food Blog.
“I started this blog to combat the resurgence of xenophobia since the beginning of the pandemic and to help support local Asian restaurants,” she said. “Even though I call it a ‘food blog,’ it is really all about the stories of people behind the kitchen doors.”
Chen also recently finished work on a project for her Girl Scout Gold Award, for which she created an app called “Relieviate,” which provides a resource for emotional help to underprivileged girls.
“I am all about women empowerment,” Chen said.
She and Natalie Sanchez, a friend and recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, recently published a newsletter called wydcommunity that encourages Generation Z women to connect to women in the professional realm to gain insight to career advice and mentorship. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1990s as starting birth years and the early 2010s as ending birth years in determining boundaries for Gen Z.

Chen attended Valentine Elementary School before beginning Westridge as a 6th-grader. She is hoping to pursue a dual degree in business and East Asian studies in college.
The daughter of Michael and Jennet Chen — who both graduated from San Marino High School — Kathleen has two younger brothers: Marcus, a junior in high school, and Jacob, a 7th-grader.
Vocal Asians for Change is “trying to raise awareness about the social injustices that Asian-Americans face,” Kathleen Chen said. “These injustices are often ignored by the media.”
Not for long, when Chen’s distinct voice is heard.