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As traumatic as it was to be exposed to these horrific tales (which were sometimes accompanied by equally horrific images), it also brought me comfort knowing I wasn't alone. Growing up in non-diverse parts of the country and later becoming the first Asian American person to hold anchor positions at three stations in Kansas City, Charlotte and Tampa Bay, I, too, had to contend with peers who referred to me as a \"chink\" or viewers who called me \"Connie Chung\" and asked, \"Is the newscast made in China?\"

Hearing the flood of stories empowered me to tell my own, to create an environment where more people felt safe to speak up. This fueled purpose for me as a journalist in the pandemic: to give others a voice while sharing my own, as I wrote in an op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle.

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𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗧𝗛: we must be vulnerable and share these stories in order to make change. ⠀ ⠀ Thanks to producer @tacertee for asking me to speak my truth & to everyone for listening. ⠀ ⠀ Oh, and yes. I said “chink” on the news. ⠀ #coronavirusnews #letsfightcoronavirus #hateisavirus #racism #sanfrancisco #sf

A post shared by Dion Lim (@dionlimtv) on Apr 6, 2020 at 6:52pm PDT

One of the most meaningful messages that came from telling my own story alongside the stories of other Asian Americans during this time was from a woman named Trinh in San Leandro, California. Her family had caught a woman on their home security camera leaving a scathing, racist letter on her door and at least a dozen other homes and public places. The letters were so xenophobic and appalling, including demands that Asians leave the U.S. immediately, and a social media post Trinh made about them went viral.

Soon, journalists from media outlets around the world were bombarding her with requests for an interview. Despite being shaken, and despite her family initially being against her speaking to the media, she called me back.

After our story aired, this text appeared on my phone: \"My family is happy that I selected you for the exclusive interview. You made us proud as the driving force to bring this anti-Asian racism to light.\"

It was a reminder that even though we may not feel comfortable with the vulnerability that comes with sharing a story of personal experience, it can bring comfort to others.

Dion Lim is a TV news anchor and reporter at ABC7/KGO-TV in San Francisco, California.

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