In the wake of the deadly mass shootings took place in multiple Atlanta massage parlors, the 'Fixer Upper' star opens up about witnessing the racism that her Korean mother had to endure.
- Mar 22, 2021
AceShowbiz - Joanna Gaines has subtly offered moral support to the Asian American community. In the wake of the deadly mass shootings that took place in Atlanta on March 16, the "Fixer Upper" star stressed the importance of embracing the amazing and beautiful differences of each people in bringing an end to hate crimes.
Making use of Instagram, the 42-year-old reality star first shared her joy in seeing the Korean version of her "The World Needs Who You Were Made To Be" book. "To see the words of my book translated into my mother's first language is such an honor for me," she wrote alongside a photo of the translated tome.
Adding a photo of her younger self in the embrace of her Korean mother, the wife of Chip Gaines went to recall witnessing her mom falling victim to racism. "I remember as a little girl being out with my mom and seeing how in a moment, a person's harsh look or an underhanded comment would attempt to belittle her rich story and her beautiful culture," she wrote.
The interior designer then reflected on the alarming rise in anti-Asian violence and what people could do to stop it. "We can't take lightly the power that our words and actions carry," she reminded. "The world needs who we were ALL made to be and all the amazing and beautiful differences we each bring with us."
Being a member of the Asian American community, the TV personality urged her fans and followers to continue embracing each difference to help ease the hate crimes happening in society. "Maybe if we say it enough, it will ring true and become the message that softens even the hardest of hearts," she concluded.
This was not the first time Joanna talked about experiencing racism. In 2018, she told Darling Magazine that she got bullied for being Asian when she was fairly young. "My mom is full Korean and my dad is Caucasian," she recalled. "Kids in kindergarten would make fun of me for being Asian and when you're that age, you don't know really how to process that. The way you take that is, 'Who I am isn't good enough.' "
In a press release issued via PEOPLE years later, Joanna stressed, "Fast forward to today and my Korean heritage is one of the things I'm most proud of. I'm trying to make up for that lost time - the culture is just so beautiful." She added, "I think discovering who you are and what you were made to do is a lifelong journey."
