How One Woman Is Helping Asian Americans Travel Safely
With a major surge in anti-Asian hate crimes, one great idea is helping people feel safer.
Since the start of the pandemic, the U.S. has seen a major rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans. March 2021 had the highest number of reported discriminatory incidents against Asian Americans in the past year, and this violence has become particularly prevalent in New York City.
Like so many, Asian American Brooklyn-resident, Maddy Park, has felt the repercussions. “Last week I took the train. It was a 30-minute commute and I realized every minute of that commute I was terrified,” Park told WABC. “I was scared that any moment in time someone might say a racial slur or attack me. Worst of all I thought that if something were to happen to me, nobody would stand up.”
After that commute, Park decided she’d stick to cab rides until things feel safer. With this revelation, she realized that not only do many Asian New Yorkers share this fear, but not everyone has the resources to travel more privately. So, Park set up an Instagram account (@cafemaddycab) and posted an image that reads “Are you Asian? Let me know if you need a ride in NYC.”
With $2,000 of her own money, she offered to Venmo Asian New Yorkers for a taxi or rideshare. Donations from others poured in, raising $100,000 in only two days. According to Park, "People who are donating are people from all across the nation, across all races, ethnicities and they just sent me messages saying, listen, we really want you guys to be safe too and we're donating so that more people can take rides in the city."
She’s hoping to find different ways to get money to folks, namely senior citizens, who don’t have Venmo. Click here for Maddy Park’s Instagram and here for the Asian Mental Health Collective if you or someone you know needs support during this time or for more resources to help #StopAsianHate.
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