#NotYourAsianSidekick ignites massive conversation about race, stereotypes and feminism

"This is not a trend, this is a movement," tweets Suey Park, the writer and activist behind the hashtag

Published December 16, 2013 6:54PM (EST)

    (Femi Oke via Twitter)
(Femi Oke via Twitter)

Twitter has hands down been one of the most dynamic, vital spaces for feminists in conversation in 2013. (And no, I don't just mean the collective viewing experience of #Scandal, though that is pretty great, too.)

The latest in a number of recent hashtags (including #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen and #FastTailedGirls) to ignite a vibrant dialogue about race, gender, privilege, feminism and intersectionality is #NotYourAsianSidekick. Launched by writer and activist Suey Park over the weekend, the hashtag was about making "a space [for Asian-American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian women] to use our voices, build community, and be heard."

Park was definitely heard, as the hashtag was used in more than 45,000 tweets (and counting) in a little over 24 hours. But like so many other conversations born on Twitter, it hasn't stayed there. And it was never intended to end there, as Park noted in a tweet Monday morning about the hashtag: "This is not a trend, this is a movement. Everybody calm down and buckle down for the long haul, please."

Included below is a brief roundup of some of what transpired over the weekend, but you can (and should) read the full conversation as it continues to unfold here.

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By Katie McDonough

Katie McDonough is Salon's politics writer, focusing on gender, sexuality and reproductive justice. Follow her on Twitter @kmcdonovgh or email her at kmcdonough@salon.com.

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Feminism Gender Identity Intersectionality Privilege Sexuality