There is a great power that can be used to combat hate, prejudice, and oppression in today’s society. This great power is the power to assemble. When you see something wrong in the world, you must utilize your words to put an end to it. This gift of being able to speak out, and cause change to make a better world, is vital. Sadly, some people under oppression choose to live their lives in great suffering, and silence. Why live a miserable life because of someone’s action, instead of acting up? Why allow the unfortunate, to be abused, and discriminated against in silence? SPEAK up, CALL for change, and PRACTICE your rights!

In times like the Covid 19 pandemic, discrimination against Asian Americans has risen. Many Asian Americans have been mindlessly scapegoated, and blamed for causing the virus. These senseless acts of hatred against Asians, have always been prevalent throughout American history. The main cause of all this hate comes from the media, raising fear, and paranoia among citizens. During WWII, innocent Japanese- American people were ruthlessly thrown into concentration camps by the American government, with no remorse. The reason for this was the fear caused by the attack on Pearl Harbor. This constant fear of Japanese people caused the government to label Japanese-American people as “Alien Enemies”. One graphic novel that undermines the truths of these camps is They Called Us Enemy written by George Takei. In this graphic novel, George Takei describes his childhood life living in Japanese internment camps with his family. Many times in the graphic novel, some situations left George’s family with the question, on if to conform or resist.

On this page, George is woken up by towering sounds of protest. Many Japanese men who have decided not to fight for the United States in WWII, decided to protest against oppression from the government. Many of these brave men ended up in jails, simply for fighting for their own rights, and freedom. Despite the punishing results, this act of protest shined a light on what was really going on in these camps. This is an example of how protesting causes people in power to see and take action against issues, that are not naked to the eye. These men chose not to conform, and rather resisted knowing that they did what was right.

At times, the right to assembly may feel ineffective, and pointless. You should never give up, because protest brings support, and voices for the silenced. Eventually, the silenced will hear your words, and join the fight against oppression. In the graphic novel, a lawyer named Wayne Collins heard about the protest in the internment. He greatly opposed Public Law 78-405, which deported Japanese-Americans back to Japan. The great man, who held a high position in society went out his way to help Japanese-Americans gain the rights they deserved. After several court hearings, Wayne Collins put an end to Public Law 78-405. This shows how protest may look weak at first, but will eventually rise like waves, to wash away the evils of hate.

Besides Asian Americans, other groups of people have been heavily discriminated against. One of these groups included African Americans. Segregation was very prevalent in the 50s-60s. African Americans were required to sit in the backs of buses, go to different schools from white people, and had overall limitation on rights. African Americans have decided that they had enough, so they took the streets, and started the civil rights movement. Lead by Martin Luther King Jr., African American people practiced their right to assemble, and protested across America. The government couldn’t escape the pain, frustrations, and shouts that African American’s experienced every day. The movement lead to the end of segregation, and racist Jim Crow laws that oppressed African Americans for so many years. As you can see, the right to assemble does work.

Nowadays in quarantine, you may be locked inside your mind, with nothing to do. Instead, turn your eye to what’s going on in the world. Be selfless, use your voice, and speak out against hatred. If you see your fellow Asian friends being harassed for no reason, act up. If you are tired of social injustices by law enforcement against African Americans, act up. Look into progressive movements like BLM and Stop Asian Hate to help end discrimination across the world. Speak out for the unprivileged because they sometimes can’t speak for themselves. Trust me, the power to assemble is crucial to our democracy, and rights. For whatever it takes to achieve world equality, the power of assembly is the best solution.