Asian-American entrepreneur and anti-racism activist Jack Liang is a well-known figure when it comes to fighting discrimination and protecting the rights of Asian Americans. The hate crimes directed towards Asians in the United States increased during the height of the pandemic as other people blamed them for causing COVID-19. Jack used his influence to raise awareness for that injustice and promote acceptance and unity at a difficult time in the world’s history.
Jack was responsible for organizing the largest recorded Asian-American rally called Rally Against Hate, which happened in Columbus Park, New York, on 16 March 2022. The rally saw an attendance of 10,000 people supporting the call to stop the hate crimes. Not long after the Columbus Park event, Jack went on to organize the Time Square Takeover, a rally with hundreds marching on Broadway, including Rihanna. In that particular initiative, all the billboards at Time Square lit up with Stop Asian Hate messages, the ripples of which were felt across the globe.
Seeing the need to create more awareness for worthy causes, Jack organized more rallies, including Voting for Justice, Stop the Mega Jail, and Save Afghan Lives, to mention a few. In April this year, Jack was among the ten protesters arrested by authorities after kneeling down in front of the construction of the world’s tallest mega jail in Chinatown, NYC. To express the community’s dislike of the project and how it would gravely affect the neighborhood, they attempted to stop bulldozers before the construction began.
Despite the criticism hurled against him, Jack continues to passionately promote the causes he supports. Just this year, he partnered with Theodore Lu and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang to introduce the first-ever social activism DAO – dubbed by Coindesk. Their project, known as GoldenDAO, uses web3 technology for social good.
Jack’s parents are Chinese immigrants who chose to move to the United States so they could have a second child. Back in the 80s, China was strictly implementing the one-child policy. Jack was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. As Asians, they were constantly discriminated against, and Jack had to deal with hostilities on the streets, even as a young boy.
In May 2021, for AAPI Heritage month, Jack was awarded a State Senate Proclamation by NY State Senator John Liu for his extraordinary contributions to his city and state. In addition, in May 2022, he was named Top 50 Unsung Hero by Asian Hustle Network. Despite his current success, he is committed to the causes he supports and will continue to fight for them passionately.
