In the interview crystal sugar Released on Wednesday, Suni Lee detailed a potential hate crime that occurred after she and her friend spent the night in Los Angeles.
The 18-year-old Li is an Olympic gold medalist, an American Hmong, a college student, and eventually became a “Dancing with the Stars” contestant. She said that she and her Asian girlfriend went out to wait for Uber last month.
A car drove past the group of people while shouting racist abuse at the girl, such as “Ching Chong” and “Go back there” [you] From. Suni claimed that when the car drove away, a passenger sprayed her arm with pepper spray.
“I was angry, but there was nothing I could do because they escaped,” Li recalled. “I didn’t do anything to them, but had a reputation. It was too difficult because I didn’t want to do anything that might cause me trouble. I just let it happen.”
Hate crimes against Asian Americans are on the rise in the United States, especially because Covid-19 misinformation and stereotypes have contributed to the racist attacks Lee experienced.
According to an alliance called Stop AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) hatred in conclusion From March 19, 2020 to June 30, 2021, 4548 incidents of hatred against Asians occurred in 2020, and 4,533 incidents were reported in 2021.
Li is the first Asian American to win the Olympic gold medal in all-around women’s gymnastics. According to reports, she is also the first Hmong American to qualify for the Olympic Games. NBC Chicago.
As for her career, because gymnastics has been dominating her life, until recently, she was not sure what the next step after the completion of “Dancing with the Stars”.
“I don’t know what to do in my life, because I have never had anything to do,” she said, “I am still trying to find what I really want.”
