Chinese Protest Recipes
The recent #killthebill protests made me think about this beautiful Chinese Protest Recipes zine made by Clarence Kwan.
Clarence started this zine to connect messages of solidarity between Black and Chinese communities in the US, especially off the back of George Floyd’s murder last year and a surge in aggression targeted at Asian communities emboldened by Covid-19.
He writes, ‘whether you are conscious about it or not, you are making a political act and actively upholding white supremacy three times a day when you choose what to eat’. Clarence draws light to racism and food injustices but also protest and solidarity through the language of food.
He calls us to question what you cook and eat every day: is it diverse? what are our assumptions about ‘ethnic food’? where do we choose to spend our money when we buy food / eat out? Etc.
I really love this message. This may not feel like the most radical act in the wake of recent protests etc but challenging our palettes and getting out of our comfort zones are significant acts too and importantly something everyone can do.
Alongside this though - a note to say I stand in solidarity with those fighting to #killthebill to stop the increase of police powers and in doing so standing to protect those disproportionately effected by police power.
As a support worker, I witness the ways in which the criminal justice system enforces serious, irrevocable violence, harm and subjugation of already marginalised people and their families every day. The expansion of police powers and the the building of more prisons serves no one other than the age old rhetoric of ‘looking tough on crime’ rather than giving support and help where it’s most needed.
This message of joined solidarities is just as important in the UK as it is in the US.
