AN ASIAN ARTIVIST
Ryan Javier identifies as Asian. Growing up, this was hardly a thing he worried about. But then, Ryan got into Ruth Asawa SOTA, a predominantly white school. Suddenly, he found himself surrounded by people he didn’t know and who didn’t look like him. However, Ryan found solace in the small AAPI diaspora at his school. They could relate to him, and he could relate to them. Suddenly, Ryan realized the power his identity could have if utilized right.
As the pandemic went on, Ryan found himself reflecting on the world around him. With more time on his hands, he began to do art. This whole year has pushed him to occupy himself, and he has done that through art.
Ryan remembers having to do a prompt for class in early April of 2020 to create an educational video targeted towards children. Suddenly, it grew into something that became his first video that addressed the issues in his community. Disguised as a video showcasing the letter C, it simplistically urged children to distance themselves from calling COVID the “Chinese virus.” “The Letter C!” was his first encounter with artivism, art activism.
Then came the wave of anti-Asian discrimination and attacks, fueled by the racist rhetoric of our previous president. Attack after attack went on, and Ryan was stuck at home doing nothing. The attacks became fatal. Vichy Ratanapakdee, 84 years old, was shoved and killed in San Francisco. 6 Asian women were killed in Atlanta. It goes on. That was the catalyst that pushed Ryan, and he decided he wanted to do something, so he did.
Ryan took his skills as a filmmaker and decided to make a film that didn’t cover the attacks but showed how the AAPI community was doing in spite of them. He made a film: “Indivisible.” After much work and effort, Ryan got students from across the city to join him and condemn the attacks. They came together in solidarity, which is what he thinks is most important
Message taken from the description box of “Indivisible”:
“With the rise of attacks on the Asian American community, many of us are afraid to even walk out the house. We fear for our siblings, our parents, our grandparents. This is not where any of us thought we would be, but there is good news. The Asian American community has used this as a turning point for ourselves, we are speaking out and we are making sure that we are HEARD. So let us continue this trend because it is now more important than ever to come together as a community to heal and to show our resilience. Join me as we celebrate our strength and we come together as a community in solidarity . Remember we are indivisible together. My name is Ryan Javier and I condemn the attacks on my Asian siblings, I stand by them in solidarity.”
“We need to continue to fight. We need to continue to resist. We need to stand up and speak out. Whether that looks like art or protesting, it can look like anything.”
AN ASIAN ARTIVIST ~ RYAN JAVIER, MEDIA 2022