Our newest Outreach Worker, Will, talks about his own experience as a victim of hate and how this led to a desire to help others stand up to it.
Experiencing hate
My whole life, I have been passionate about helping those who are affected by racism and hate, as I was once a victim of hate crime growing up in Nottingham.
I am a 21-year-old student at Nottingham Trent University and am Vietnamese & Chinese. I have lived in the UK all my life.
Remembering my roots
My Vietnamese family came to Nottingham in the 1970s as refugees. My father became the Vietnamese Community Leader & an interpreter and helped over 400 families in the UK. He is my inspiration and the reason for my motto ‘never forget your roots’. At NTU, I am the president of the Oriental Society. We have over a hundred members, and this number continues to grow every year.
Working with Chinese and South-Asian communities
When Communities Inc took me on, I was happy to know I could make a change in Nottingham – raising awareness of hate crime and helping victims.
During National Hate Crime Awareness Week (NHCAW), my task was to reach out to Nottingham’s Chinese and South Asian communities. I went to restaurants, cafes and nail salons, giving them leaflets in English, Chinese & Vietnamese about what a hate crime is and how to report it. Communities Inc produced these resources earlier this year for Nottingham City Council’s awareness campaign.
“I spoke to a lot of restaurant owners… One informed me about his experience of racism in Lenton… Takeaways and restaurants are experiencing a lot of hate-related incidents.”
How to report hate crime and why it’s important.
Hate crime during COVID-19
I spoke to a lot of restaurant owners during NHCAW. One informed me about his experience of racism in Lenton – how students were very aggressive towards him and called him racist names. Takeaways and restaurants are experiencing a lot of hate-related incidents since the COVID-19 lockdown in March. It’s very sad to hear.
Spreading hope not hate
The stories I heard from the business owners during NHCAW motivate me even more to pursue my goal at Communities Inc. I want to help people in the community and at NTU to feel safe in Nottingham – not anxious or judged because of where they come from.
The team at Communities Inc are very welcoming. The message they spread about tackling hate is encouraging for a lot of people, including myself. I’m glad to have joined them on their mission. I believe that if we all work together, we can put an end to hate.
