Innocent and unarmed men have been murdered by police for generations in this country. It’s something I’m aware of and even though it saddens me every-time I learn of another murder seemingly caused by subconscious racial bias, I’m not usually surprised or shocked.
That changed when I learned about the murder of Rajan Moonesinghe. Raj was a 33 yr old South Asian entrepreneur who was building a business in Austin. Just like myself and most of my South Asian friends and family, he grew up in America, was family oriented, went to college, and had a successful career. Raj was gunned down by @austin_police on his own porch last month.
Raj is the brother-in-law of one of my cousins. Although I didn’t personally know Raj, I know his brother, and the grief I feel for this family is painful. I can’t even fathom what his family has been dealing with. This incident should be a wake-up call to all Brown folks- especially those who think that racism is something that “other” communities of color experience and not something we will ever have to deal with. Unfortunately, the reality is that NONE of us are spared from the system of white supremacy and racism.
Anyone of us could have been Raj- an innocent brown-skinned person in the wrong place at the wrong time. Non-Black people of color: We need to wake the F up.
This incident made me think about the ongoing grief Black Americans and families experience due to the common murders of their innocent fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons. As South Asians, we have the privilege of not having this kind of tragedy be a regular occurrence, but that doesn’t mean we should look the other way.
Raj and his family will never receive justice, but at the least, they deserve to see accountability. Although NBC has picked up this story- there has been little media coverage of this injustice. PLEASE help this family by using your platforms to create awareness about this murder.