Appreciating Differences

The recent hate crimes and tragic losses of life targeting people of Asian descent are deplorable and condemnable. For me, these heinous and cowardly acts hit a deep, personal nerve.

When I was 28 years old, my wife and I were asked by an executive at P&G whether we would consider “an international assignment for a few years”. My mind quickly thought of a possible job posting in Canada or England —desirable, familiar places for a guy who had grown up in a wealthy white suburb of Cincinnati. Imagine my shock when the P&G executive told me that he wanted us to move to Japan. 

When I overcame the initial nervousness of possibly living and working in Japan, and after just three days of deliberation, I decided to accept the job, sight unseen. Afterall, my wife and I were young, we were courageous, and we thought this would be our life’s big adventure before starting a family. Besides, two years would fly by. Wouldn’t it ?

Japan was wonderful, completely foreign and a trampoline for professional and personal growth. I stood out literally and figuratively at 6’4’ and fair skinned. I was different, and that was OK. The Japanese were different, and that also was OK. In fact, more than OK. They were awesome, kind, and industrious.

We learned to respect and appreciate differences, rather than find them threatening. We learned to see the beauty in diversity, rather than fear it. And we experienced the tremendous personal growth that comes from opening oneself to change. With this mindset, Japan and its warm and hospitable citizens became home and became family. So, you can imagine our delight when our time in Japan was extended from a brief two-year stint to a six-year journey.

In 1995, just as we thought we would be heading back to Cincinnati, P&G “invited” us to move to Hong Kong and China, giving us the opportunity to enjoy an additional 3 ? years in Asia. In total, we lived and travelled extensively in Asia for 9 ? life-changing years, and we were blessed to have all three of our children there. We cherish the time we spent Asia and the citizens who made these experiences so much richer and more fascinating. 

My affection for Asia, its people, and the time my family spent there makes the recent acts of violence against Asian Americans feel even more gut-wrenching. Few will have the opportunity to spend nearly a decade living and working in Asia, but should that really be a requirement to be anti-racist or to stand up for our Asian American neighbors, colleagues, and friends? 

In the world of advertising, we know the best ideas and the most transformative campaigns come from a team that is as diverse as the American melting pot itself. Different perspectives and life experiences, vibrant cultures, and varying backgrounds empower teams to craft stunning creative, execute flawless activations, and connect with a diverse audience. Just as marketing and advertising itself can be boring and predictable when we all think, act, and look the same, so is our world as we know it. 

I challenge my colleagues across the world of advertising and marketing to stand strong against Asian American bias and hate. Our role in communicating with the masses puts us in a unique position to rally the public and to reach countless eyes and ears with the message that racism cannot be condoned. It’s time we embrace diversity and view it as a gift to be cherished. It’s not about who or what is right, but how much richer life is when we don’t just tolerate other races, but embrace them.

ACTIONABLE WAYS TO MAKE SYSTEMIC CHANGE: 

1. Support and uplift your local AAPI-owned businesses in your community. As an Arizona-based company, we’ve been following the Arizona Asian Chamber of Commerce, which shares resources and amplifies their business community’s needs. 
2. Invest time, money, and resources into programs and organizations that do the work to dismantle racism and prevent harassment and violence. Our team members have taken part in training and reading resources from organizations such as Hollaback & Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, which offer Bystander Intervention trainings to stop anti-Asian/American and xenophobic harassment, as well as many other forms of education around how to end harassment.
3. See something, say something. Stop AAPI Hate is an organization that shares safety resources and acts as a platform to report hate crimes (you can submit these reports in 11 different languages). The center tracks and responds to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning, and child bullying against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.