Hasan Minhaj, host of Netflix's Patriot Act, gave an impassioned plea aimed directly at Asian Americans and why AAPI need to support the George Floyd protestors and for equal justice for all People of Color, especially Black Americans.
The comedian wasn't joking when he dropped a Patriot Act Digital Exclusive episode on YouTube titled ‘We Cannot Stay Silent About George Floyd.’ that excoriated the anti-black sentiment that permeates through AAPI communities.
In the 12-minute long episode, that has since gone viral on social media, he starts in his typical style pointing out the absurdity of some situations:
“Asians, we love seeing Black excellence — Barack, Michelle, JAY [-Z], Beyoncé, the Travis Scott [Air Jordan] 4s. We spent the last five weeks praying at the altar of Michael Jordan. How could we be afraid? We love Black America. Yeah, on screen in our living rooms. But if a Black man walks in your living room or wants to date, God forbid, marry your daughter, you call the cops.”
Then he dives into the colorism that exists in Asian culture where lighter skin is coveted and dark skin is looked down on.
And to drive his point home, he shows of picture of former Minneapolis police officer Tuo Thao, one of the four officers who were involved in the arrest and death of Floyd. While three officers restrained Floyd, Thao stood in front of the onlookers videotaping the incident.
"That is America. A black man was murdered in cold blood, and we were on the f**king sidelines watching," said Minhaj, calling for non-black POC to take a more active role. "I'm not saying we were the ones who killed George Floyd. But we have to be the ones who pull that cop off his neck!"
"We think we're not a part of the story, but we're at the scene of the crime! That's why the full picture matters. This doesn't happen in a vacuum — it happens in a system," he continued.
"We have to donate our money and time to black organizations," said the second-generation Indian American. "We have got to get our civics law school nerd shit on right now."
He specifically challenged Asian immigrants: "America's story didn't start when we got here," said Minhaj. "When you became an American citizen you don't just get to own the country's excellence. You have to own its failures. That is the deal."
He concluded with a direct appeal to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who is on a first-name basis with his fellow Muslim American to aggressively prosecute the four former officers, "to set a precedent, so the next time we see a cop with a knee on a black man's neck, we see it for what it is -- murder.!"
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