On Sunday, Rihanna went undercover at a “Stop Asian Hate” rally in New York City. She extended her support for the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community by attending the rally.
The 33-year old pop star did not draw attention to herself. She followed Covid-19 protocols by wearing a black face mask. She also wore a baseball cap and large, dark sunglasses. She went to the rally with Tina Truong, her assistant who was shooting the entire rally for her Instagram page.
Truong captioned a series of photos and images of the rally. She included an image of the singer and makeup mogul with a sign that said: “Stop Asian Hate.” She also posted a video of Rihanna dancing in the street.
Troung also shared an unusual video of a member of the rally who asked the singer for her Instagram handle. He was unaware that he was talking to Rihanna.
She posted the video with the caption: “When Rih gives you her IG handle but you think she’s trolling.” The man is surprised and asks her “That’s you?” Rihanna starts laughing.
Troung carried a sign that said: “Bad day?! #Call it a hate crime.” This sign was a reference to a Cherokee Sheriff’s Office spokesman who said that the suspected gunman Aaron Long “had a bad day.” The spokesman was referring to the gunman’s alleged murder spree at three Atlanta spas where he killed eight, six among whom were women of Asian descent. Long has been charged since.
Many other attacks on Asians have followed after these shootings in cities such as Tacoma, Washington and New York City.
Rallies to support the AAPI community have been taken out in many cities across the country. Some of these cities include Atlanta, Pittsburg, Chicago, San Antonio, San Francisco and New York City. The “Umbrella” singer and her assistant attended the New York City rally. By going incognito, Rihanna showed true support by focusing on the cause and not on her fame, which could have distracted attention from the cause.
