Eileen Park has gone public about an 鈥渁valanche of anti-Asian hate鈥� after her wedding to former Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson was featured in Vogue.

Along with international acclaim, she said came 鈥渟ickening鈥� comments including people accusing Robertson of having 鈥測ellow fever鈥� and other racist remarks about Park鈥檚 Korean heritage.

鈥淭he amount of disgusting direct messages and mentions I got, as a result, made me ill. The fetishization of Asian women is racist. Why? Because it dehumanizes and targets us,鈥� she said in a video posted to social media Sunday.

Vogue鈥檚 March issue was published the same week six women of Asian descent were killed at the hands of a white gunman who targeted Atlanta-area massage parlors.

The shooting sent a wave of terror through the Asian-American community 鈥� prompting Asian women across the globe to go public with their experiences with racism and sexual harassment.

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鈥淔or too long, Asian women all over the world, like me, have had to keep quiet and eat our own bitterness, and I just can鈥檛 keep quiet anymore,鈥� the former journalist said.

Park, who is Korean-America, said she and Robertson met at a climate summit in Copenhagen in 2019 when she was communications director for Portland鈥檚 mayor. At the time, Robertson was an ambassador for the Global Covenant of Mayors.

The now-wife said she experienced racism while working in politics and when she was a reporter.

鈥淚t can be anything as small as someone saying 鈥榳here are you really from鈥� or it can be something as big as someone spreading a rumour about you in a professional setting saying 鈥榶ou must have slept your way to the top鈥� just by virtue of being an Asian woman,鈥� she said.

鈥淐overt racism (is) these microaggressions, these everyday microaggressions that happen to women.鈥�

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sarah.grochowski@bpdigital.ca
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