“ A hard look or a sneaky comment from one person would try to downplay their rich history ”



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Joanna Gaines shares how her Korean mother was looked down upon.  (Photo: Rob Kim / Getty Images)

Joanna Gaines shares how her Korean mother was looked down upon. (Photo: Rob Kim / Getty Images)

Joanna Gaines opens up about the racist treatment her young self witnessed in a poignant Instagram post shared amid a wave of attacks on the Asian community, including last Tuesday’s Atlanta shooting.

The Upper Fixator star, 42, shared her thoughts as she celebrated her latest book, The world needs who you were meant to be, being translated into Korean, the mother tongue of his mother Nan. Gaines’ father is of German and Lebanese origin.

“Seeing the words from my book translated into my mother’s native language is such an honor for me,” wrote the Texas home and lifestyle guru, sharing a photo of his translated book. Gaines also shared a photo from his childhood with Nan.

“I remember, as a little girl, going out with my mother and seeing how, in a moment, a hard look or a sly comment from one person would try to downplay their rich history and beautiful culture,” she continued.

“We cannot take lightly the power conveyed by our words and actions. The world needs who we are ALL made to be and all the amazing and beautiful differences that we each bring with us.

“Maybe if we say it enough, it will ring true and become the message that softens even the hardest of hearts.”

The raw message from the mother of five received praise and calls for solidarity.

“Those photos and this article took my breath away,” singer and country music activist Chely Wright wrote.

“I hope that parents will have conversations with their children about the importance of stopping racism and what everyone can do as a bystander if they witness an act of racism”, reads in another comment. “We need to stand up for others and learn ways to prevent this from happening.”

“Thank you for using your platform to speak out and gain the attention and awareness of our people!” another fan added. “Enough is enough! People mistake our passivity for a weakness and they couldn’t be more wrong!”

“Yes and thank you for the post from your fellow Korean American,” read another comment.

Gaines has previously spoken about her heritage and the conflicted feelings she had with him as a child.

“My mother is all Korean and my father is Caucasian,” she writes in her book. “Kindergarten kids would laugh at me because I’m Asian, and when you’re that age you don’t really know how to handle it; the way you take it is, ‘Who I am is not good enough.’ Fast forward to today and my Korean heritage is one of the things I’m most proud of. I’m trying to make up for this lost time – the culture is so beautiful. I think finding out who you are and what you’ve been made to do is a journey of a lifetime.

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