Naomi Osaka speaks out against recent anti-Asian attacks

By Aryana Azari

Video by Faith Bernstein

Tennis star Naomi Osaka took to social media to condemn the recent anti-Asian violence in the United States.

"If people loved Asian people as much as they love bubble tea, anime, mochi, sushi, matcha etc..." Osaka, who was born to a Japanese mother and Haitian father, wrote on Twitter Saturday. "Imagine profiting/enjoying things that come from a culture and then attacking/diminishing the ethnic group that created it."

If people loved Asian people as much as they love bubble tea, anime, mochi, sushi, matcha etc... Imagine profiting/enjoying things that come from a culture and then attacking/diminishing the ethnic group that created it.

— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) March 27, 2021

The 23-year-old went on to share a screenshot of her tweet on Instagram, commenting that it's "really sad" the #StopAsianHate hashtag has to exist.

"It should be common sense but it seems like common sense is uncommon in this world now," she said.

Osaka's comments come at a time when attacks against Asian Americans are on the rise. According to Stop AAPI Hate, a nonprofit organization founded last year, 3,795 hate incidents were reported between March 19, 2020, and Feb. 28, 2021.

The Pew Research Center found that three in 10 Asian Americans experienced racial slurs or jokes since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Osaka is no stranger to speaking out on racial injustice, both on social media and in real life. During the U.S. Open last summer, which she won for the second time, Osaka wore masks with the names of different victims of police brutality.