Bay Area teen fashion designer organizes #StandForAsians rally

"This is unfair, this is unjust. It's shocking," said So. "It's not okay and we are not going to stand for it."

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ByChris Nguyen KGO logo
Saturday, February 27, 2021
Bay Area teen fashion designer organizes #StandForAsians rally
Bay Area teen fashion designer organizes #StandForAsians rallyAshlyn So is a middle school student who's balancing the world of distance learning, with her role as an emerging fashion designer. And she is organizing a rally to support the Bay Area Asian community.

SAN MATEO, Calif. (KGO) -- By day, Ashlyn So is a middle school student on the Peninsula who is balancing the world of distance learning, with her role as an emerging fashion designer.

The 13-year-old has been featured at New York Fashion Week and you might remember her from earlier in the pandemic when she channeled her passion for fashion into making stylish masks for healthcare workers.

But lately, So has been paying close attention to the anti-Asian rhetoric and violence plaguing our community, which is something that has been weighing heavily on her heart.

"This is unfair, this is unjust. It's shocking," said So. "It's not okay and we are not going to stand for it."

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Instead of sitting on the sidelines, So is stepping up by organizing a "Stand for Asians" rally at San Mateo Central Park on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 1p.m., bringing attention to what many say is a much-needed movement in these challenging times.

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So added, "Many people reached out to support this cause and to help out the rally, help organize it, and that lets me know that our community is good."

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Her family is also providing guidance however they can.

"We're open to whatever ideas that she has, and (if) she's serious about it, then we're going to go for it, we're going to do this together, we're going to figure this out together," said So's mother, Angela Wu.

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So is part of an up-and-coming generation that is more likely to not only speak out, but to take action against the wrongs they see in the world. Financial advisor and community philanthropist Jason Ting is hopeful that others take notice.

"It's the creativity of how the next generation makes an impact," said Ting. "They know the power of networking and highlighting what are the positive things we can do to make a difference to make things better."

WATCH: Daniel Wu, W. Kamau Bell discuss shocking crimes against Asian Americans

Daniel Wu and W. Kamau Bell spoke with us about the recent uptick in violence against Asian Americans in the Bay Area as videos of attacks on elderly people have gone viral. They spoke about racism and allyship between the Black and Asian communities.

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