Bruce Lee's daughter condemns attacks against Asians: 'This is where 'kung flu' leads'

Entertainment Weekly
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ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images

Bruce Lee's daughter, actor and producer Shannon Lee, is condemning violence against Asians after the horrific Atlanta shootings Tuesday that claimed the lives of eight people, six of them Asian women.

Lee also denounced hateful rhetoric regarding the coronavirus, including "kung flu," a term former President Donald Trump repeatedly used.

"This is where 'kung flu' leads. You think it's a joke and that we shouldn't be so serious about it," she tweeted from late her father's Twitter account. "But then there are those who latch onto it with hatred and xenophobia and use it to fuel their fear and contempt until it explodes into heinous acts."

"This is what happens when we try to break the oneness into separate parts and decide to categorize and rank the parts as good and bad, better or worse, belonging or not belonging," she continued in another tweet.

"What would it cost you to decide we are all one family? But really? What is lost by transforming contempt to acceptance?" Lee wrote. "It's time to look within and ask yourself, do I want to be at peace? Can I operate from love? Will I stand with my human family and embody the end of hate? You're invited to the family gathering. Please join us. -Shannon Lee"

She also included widely shared hashtags people have been using to condemn the attacks: #stopthehate #onefamily #stopasianhate

Violence against Asians rose 150 percent in major cities in 2020 compared to the previous year, newly analyzed data shows.

Lee joins many high-profile Asian American figures, including Olivia Munn and Mindy Kaling, who have spoken out after the shootings to plead for support for their communities.

"The violent attacks and murders against Asians are still happening. Please help us. We need help to be safe in our country. #StopAsianHate. Please," Munn tweeted.

Kaling wrote that "enough is enough" when it came to anti-Asian rhetoric and violence.

"The targeting of our Asian brothers and sisters is sickening, but not surprising given the normalizing of anti-Asian hate speech in the past year," she tweeted. "We have to #StopAsianHate, enough is enough!"

Other celebrities, like LeBron James and Jackée Harry, have also shown solidarity with Asian Americans and shared their condolences for the victims and their families.

"My condolences goes out to the families of all the victims and the entire Asian community tonight on what transpired in Atlanta at the Aromatherapy Spa. Coward a** young man!! Just senseless and tragic!!" James tweeted.

"As today's tragedy further proves, racist rhetoric is far too dangerous to ignore. #StopAsianHate," Jackée Harry wrote.

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