Chester is what climate activists call an “environmental justice community,” a place where climate change and pollution disproportionately affect underserved populations.

On the evening of March 16, Ana Hikari’s phone wouldn’t stop ringing with the news of the Atlanta shootings. Hikari, a Brazilian actress of Japanese, Black, and Indigenous descent, is one the first Asian actresses to play a leading role in a Brazilian soap opera, and both her friends and her more than a million Instagram followers immediately looked for her reaction to the grim news.

Marching alongside thousands in the streets of Bangkok, in a matter of moments, a friendly crowd became frightened. Thita was in the middle as police officers began using water cannons on their fellow citizens.

Local activists, community organizations, and politicians gather in Union Square Friday night against anti-Asian crimes

Looking forward, Asian American activists hope to unify Asian communities into a powerful political demographic.