Not All Heroes Wear Capes: An interview with Christina Lu

18-year-old Christina Lu was taking the SEPTA train home after school in Philadelphia on November 17, 2021, when she witnessed four teenage girls attacking a group of Asian boys. Where most people would have turned a blind eye, Lu stepped in to help, putting her own body in harm’s way to protect the students. A video capturing the hate crime and her intervention went viral, catching the attention of news outlets around the country and sparking outrage on her behalf. Lu, a student at Central High School in Philadelphia, graciously agreed to participate in an interview with our magazine to shed some light on the incident and talk about the implications of being Asian in America.

“When the Asian hate crimes upsurged because of COVID-19, I think, well, my family… they were more cautious. They would ask my grandma and grandparents to just stay at home, because many of the targeted group were elderlies,” said Lu. With the COVID-19 pandemic came a stark rise in violence towards Asians and a new life for the community–one lived in fear. “Before the incident happened, I never, myself, received or encountered any hate crime,” Lu continued. “So, when I first saw the attack happen I was really startled. I was confused. But, like, the boys were really scared and I just felt the need to stand up because I couldn\’t stand seeing that violence happening right in front of me.”

According to an article on NBC News,  “The four girls who allegedly perpetrated the attack, all under the age of 17, were charged with aggravated assault, ethnic intimidation, criminal conspiracy, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and disorderly conduct.” The attack began raising questions about our society: how could we have let this happen? Where have we gone wrong? What are we teaching our students?

One area to consider is the K-12 education system. According to Lu, “The Philadelphia school district [is] just lacking a place where students can learn about Asian culture …we learn about some parts of Asian history in World History, like learning about the Silk Road, but other than that, we really don’t get a deep dive into how Asians came to America, how they influenced [American] history. So I feel like in some ways, the education system has failed us…if we learn more about [different identities] we would come together so much more.” Education is not meant to further divisiveness–a quality evident in American society today–nor promote stereotypes; it is a tool for change, and it is one of our greatest gifts.  Lu notes that her school community has been supportive and considerate of her well-being in the aftermath of the incident. “My classmates support me, they talk to me, ask me if I’m doing well, and the school [is] letting me ease back into going back to school and helping me and letting me know that it’s okay if [I] can’t catch up.”

Lu maintains a positive mindset towards our society even amidst the hate crimes. “I realized that there’s still so much love and support in society even though there’s like so many flaws.” She believes that learning about our own extensive history and recognizing the power our generation has to effect change are the first steps towards building a more cohesive, understanding community. “We have the ability to stand up, and we need to. [We] are the next generation, the change in the future, and I feel like [we] have the ability to make people listen because despite us being kids, we have the ability to make the right choices. We have the ability to have a big thought process as to how we do things. It’s okay to be scared, it’s okay to be shy, but you still need to stand up.”  It was not easy for Lu to share her story and take a definitive stance, at first. “When the video first went up on Instagram, […]I couldn’t watch it myself, and I tried to ask my brother to take it down, just because I didn’t want my face to be all around at first. But then, when I thought about it, I realized that I need to stand up, because this [was] the only time that the world, the government, would be able to listen to me, and that we are able to make something happen.”

Lu pursues advocacy efforts in her everyday life as well, part of organizations such as Asian American United, where she focuses on civic engagement, immigration, and helping Asians register to vote. Her courageous story shows the next generation that they have the agency to spark change, and that being an upstander can be the greatest gift to society.