Sandra Oh is speaking out against Asian hate.
The “Killing Eve” star made a surprise appearance Saturday at a “Stop Asian Hate” demonstration in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood, where she spoke briefly to protesters.
“Hi, my name is Sandra Oh,” she said to crowd applause. “Pittsburgh, I am so happy and proud to be here with you and thank you to all the organizers for organizing this just to give us an opportunity to be together and stand together and feel each other. For many of us in our community, this is the first time we are even able to voice our fear and our anger and I really am so grateful for everyone willing to listen.”
The rally follows a spate of anti-Asian violence that includes shootings at spas in Atlanta Tuesday that killed eight people, including six women of Asian ancestry.
Among those who amplified Oh’s appearance in Pittsburgh on social media was her longtime “Grey’s Anatomy” co-star Ellen Pompeo. Other celebrities who’ve responded publicly to the Atlanta shootings include Gemma Chan, Margaret Cho, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Shonda Rhimes, Daniel Dae Kim and George Takei. Political figures from Barack Obama to Sen. Tammy Duckworth also have posted on social media condemning the attacks.
“One thing that I know [is] many of us in our community are very scared,” Oh said. “And I understand that and one way to go through our fear is to reach out to our community. I will challenge everyone here, if you see something, will you help me? If you see one of our sisters and brothers in need, will you help us? As Asian Americans, we just need to reach out our hand to our sisters and brothers and say, ‘Help me and I’m here.’”
Oh concluded her remarks by leading the crowd to chant, “I am proud to be Asian! I belong here!” “Many of us don’t get that chance to be able to say that so I just wanted to give us an opportunity to be able to shout that, thank you so much,” she said.
