March 23, 2021— Founder of the Anecdotia Media filmmaker and journalist Eileen Park was subjected to hateful, racist comments after her private wedding pictures were published in a magazine last week. Eileen had an interracial marriage with the former mayor of Vancouver last year in December 2020. She shared that amidst all the messages of love and support, there was also an avalanche of anti-Asian hate. Eileen shared that several comments were dismissing her as a young Asian girl. The recent Atlanta shooting that killed eight women of Asian descent pushed Eileen to share her own experience. CFWIJ extends its support to Eileen Park and condemns the xenophobic attacks against the journalist. 

Eileen shared her experience while speaking to CBC News Vancouver. The filmmaker recounted, “I was bombarded with hate-filled messages. People laughing about men having yellow fever and Asian women having universal slots. There was comment after comment dismissing me as a young Asian girl.” Her wedding photos were shared in the days following the Atlanta shooting. She said that the shooting of eight Asian women in Atlanta urged her to share the racism and discrimination she experiences as an Asian woman. She narrated, “hate starts somewhere and it does not start with blatant hate. But it does with othering us and exoticizing us and fetishizing us”. Eileen believes these microaggressions lead to vicious acts of violence.

Eileen explained that sometimes it could be as little as asking someone, “where are you from,” or it can be something big like starting a baseless rumor about you in the professional setting, claiming you slept your way up to the top. She continued to say it took her a long time to realize her sufferings. She stated that the history of how Asian women are sexualized and objectified in the media plays an irrefutable role in creating and perpetuating the Asian hate narrative. Journalists have shared their sorrow after eight women were shot and killed in Atlanta on March 18.  “For a long time, Asian women all over the world have remained silent, and I can not just stay quiet anymore.”, Eileen affirmed. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism has documented several racist attacks against Asian-American journalists. Several women reporters have shared the unfortunate details of different acts of violence they endured. We stand in solidarity with dedicated and hard-working women journalists like Eileen Park and condemn the xenophobic attacks against them. We extend our support and care to Eileen and all Asian-American women journalists who make a difference despite the difficult circumstances.