What happens when media narratives, social media algorithms, and historical trauma collide? That was the focus of a powerful Hard Knock Radio conversation hosted by Davey D featuring San Francisco State University professor and activist Russell Jeung and journalist, artist, and community organizer Rocky Rivera. Together, they unpacked the growing tensions between Black and Asian communities while offering a deeper look at the forces that often keep those communities divided.
Rivera pushed back against simplistic narratives that portray Black and Asian communities as natural adversaries. Drawing from her experiences growing up in the Bay Area, she emphasized that solidarity is not only possible but something she has witnessed firsthand.
“Here in the Bay Area, Oakland folks and Black folks—we are linked. It’s hard to find one without the other, especially in Oakland, and it’s always been that way,” Rivera explained.
She also highlighted how social media platforms have amplified division and rewarded inflammatory content. According to Rivera, online algorithms often elevate the loudest and most extreme voices while burying nuanced conversations rooted in history and community building.
Professor Jeung, known nationally for his work with the Stop AAPI Hate movement, echoed those concerns. He argued that sensationalized media coverage frequently racializes isolated incidents and reinforces harmful stereotypes.
“The model minority myth gets employed, dangerous African American stereotypes get employed, and we get pitted against each other, all for the benefit of a white supremacist system,” Jeung said.
The discussion also explored the long history of Black-Asian cooperation that is often ignored. Jeung pointed to examples ranging from Frederick Douglass opposing Asian exclusion laws to generations of civil rights activism that connected Asian American and African American struggles.
One of the most compelling moments came when Jeung described how immigrants often pursue what he called “whiteness” rather than white identity itself.
“We don’t want to be white. We want the whiteness. We want the fair treatment, the privileges that whites get,” he observed, explaining how structural incentives can fuel anti-Black attitudes.
Throughout the conversation, Davey D, Rivera, and Jeung challenged listeners to move beyond viral outrage and engage in deeper historical analysis. Their message was clear: solidarity requires education, honest dialogue, and a willingness to confront the systems that profit from keeping communities divided. In a time when algorithms often reward conflict, this conversation served as a reminder that unity remains one of the most powerful forms of resistance.
Hard Knock Radio is a drive-time Hip-Hop talk show on KPFA (94.1fm @ 4-5 pm Monday-Friday), a community radio station without corporate underwriting, hosted by Davey D and Anita Johnson.
