The defender hasn’t always been eager to discuss her identity. But during the past month, she felt driven to use her Instagram stories platform to advocate against the increased swell of anti-Asian violence and discrimination.
Attacks and harassment against Asian Americans have spiked throughout the country since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The wave of bigotry propelled Riley to advocate for her community.
“I haven’t been that comfortable talking about my experience as an Asian American and I haven’t been really vocal about even being half Asian,” Riley said. “But I’m really angry and I’m fired up and I want to make sure that I’m actually doing something about it.