Ep 84 | Black Lives Solidarity Global Initiative: Founders Stefanie Davis and Patrick Springer

Jul 6, 2020

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A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Stefanie Davis and Patrick Springer are the founders of the Black Lives Solidarity Global Initiative, which organized a rally in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement on June 13th in Taipei’s 228 Peace Park. I spoke to Stefanie and Patrick about their experiences living as people of color in Taiwan and the U.S., the activities planned for the rally and their personal views of Black Lives Matter.

Here’s a description of the Black Lives Solidarity Global Initiative rally from their Facebook event page:

We cannot sit around as the stories of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Iyanna Dior, Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown Jr., Pamela Turner, Atatiana Jefferson, and countless others become common occurrences- background noise to the daily news, their lives summarized as sound bites between the weather and sports updates.

We cannot sit idly by and watch as police brutality against innocent black and brown bodies continues to go unchecked around the world.

It is time for us to take a stand and make our voices known that we demand action against racism both abroad and at home. That injustice against one of us, is an injustice to all.

Join us in a legal and peaceful rally Saturday, June 13th, at 228 Peace Memorial Park in Taipei as we come together to lend our support and our voices to those around the world fighting for equality and for others right to simply breathe.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

What brought Stefanie and Patrick to Taiwan and how long they have been here
The racism that they have experienced in Taiwan and how it compares to what they’ve experienced in the U.S.
How they talk to their students about race and nationality
Patrick’s bar Arts & Crafts (in Taichung)
How the Black Lives Solidarity Global Initiative (BLSGI) came about
The events and activities planned at the June 13 BLSGI rally
The Taipei Is Listening Forum
How the BLSGI rally has put Taiwan on the map as one of the countries that has had a rally about the injustices happening to Black people in the U.S.
The feedback they’ve received about the rally
What Stefanie and Patrick hope that people take away from the experience of being at the rally or what they learned at the rally
Common stereotypes that people have about Black people
Facts and statistics that demonstrate some of the discrimination that Blacks in the U.S. experience
The shooting of Atatiana Jefferson and arrest of Sandra Bland
Where the funds raised at the rally went
Patrick and Stefanie’s personal experiences with Black Lives Matter
What advice Stefanie or Patrick have for non-Black people who want to understand the Black experience or who want to be allies
What Black Lives Matter means to Stefanie and Patrick
Facts and statistics based on US data and research that were shared at the BLSGI rally:

More than 1/2 of young Black Americans know someone, including themselves, who has been harassed by the police.
Black students are 3 times more likely to be suspended than white students for similar infractions.
Black drivers are 30% more likely than white drivers to be pulled over by the police.
For every $100 earned by white
families -> Black families earn $57.30.
Blacks Americans make up 13% of the nation's population.
Blacks Americans make 40% of prison populations.