With the rise of attacks against Asian Americans, likely in part, stoked by the xenophobia remarks of former President Donald Trump, a discussion has ignited the need for Black people to display solidarity with other communities.

Asian Americans have long experienced economical and political barriers, and the community's fight for justice has often been aligned with that of the Black community as they grapple with being minorities in the U.S. The juxtaposing of the two communities in their current fight for social justice overshadows the numerous occasions over the centuries Black people have not only shown up for others but how our needs continue to be obscured and obliterated by larger movements. 

Since the 1700s, with very little rights and freedom as U.S. citizens, the Black community has continuously stood on the battleground with others, inspiring future movements and aiding in the passing of monumental legislations.

Here are five times the Black community showed up and out for others.

1. American Revolutionary War

Dating back to the 1700s and prior to movements for social justice, Black men were coerced onto the battleground as the country fought to establish its freedom from the British and liberation of white people.

While the country sought to gain its independence, Black soldiers embarked on a battle that was never intended to grant them the freedom they were misled into believing would be rewarded to them in exchange for their manpower.

Crispus Attucks, a Black enslaved man who became known as the first person who died in the war, was recognized for his sacrifice for the country. Additionally, Salem Poor, Colonel Tye and poet Phyllis Wheatley would go on to help propel the country's mission of obtaining independence. An educated Wheatley even publically expressed her support of the Revolutionary War and George Washington in a poem titled "To His Excellency, General Washington."

Other enslaved people would go on to work routine jobs like carpenters, guards and cooks, aiding in the country's struggle for freedom as leaders refused to see them as equals.

Many would not go on to see their freedom until the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, and even then, thousands would remain in captivity. 

2. Women's Rights And The Suffrage Movement

Prior to the 1920s, many women were forced out of voting in political elections due to restrictive U.S. laws, thus inspiring the conception of the Women's Suffrage Movement.  

White women from across the country took on Capitol Hill to challenge voting laws that prevented them from having a say in choosing their elected leaders. Despite Black people not having the right to vote until the passing of the 15th Amendment and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Black women pulled up their bootstraps and joined white women in a movement that ultimately shut them out. 

Notable Black leaders including Fredrick Douglass participated in the suffrage movement. During the Seneca Falls Convention, Douglass defended female organizers' demand to obtain the right to education, own land, divorce their husbands and vote. The abolitionist published a notice for the convention in his newspaper the North Star and spoke candidly about the women's resolutions published in the Declaration of Sentiments. 

Joining Douglass in speaking up for women's rights were Sojourner Truth, Maria W. Stewart and Frances E.W. Harper who would often participate in national women's rights conventions. 

3. Young Patriots Organization And The Rainbow Coalition

Poor white people living on the north side of Chicago during the late '60s said they disenfranchised and sought to form an organization whose mission was to stand in solidarity with minorities. Of this, came the Young Patriots Organization whose members attended a conference orchestrated by the late Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton. 

Inspired by the BBP's 10 Point Program, leaders of the Young Patriots Organization implemented an 11 point program and began outreach to local churches, later forming an official alliance with the revolutionaries. The alliance went on to eventually create The Rainbow Coalition which included the Young Lords, a radical Puerto Rican group, and members of the Native American community.

The coalition held demonstrations objecting to police brutality, poverty, gentrification and discriminatory practices within the healthcare system and housing while ensuring the needs of poor white people were being addressed.

4. Asian Americans And World War II

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the subsequent World War II, many Japanese Americans were interred and lawyers, including Black Los Angeles-based attorney Hugh McBeth, advocated for their rights through speeches, lobbying investigatory reports and lawsuits. McBeth challenged discrimination against Asians in the country and argued that “race-based confinement constituted unconstitutional racial discrimination.”

The prominent Black California newspaper the California Eagle called for support of the Japanese community.

In an article published two years after the attack, the progressive newspaper said the “persecution of the Japanese-American minority [was] one of the disgraceful aspects of the nation’s conduct of the People’s War.”

Additionally, the publication discontinued the use of the racial slur "Jap" as other major outlets continued its use. 

Columnist Rev. Hamilton T. Boswell regularly educated the Black community on happenings within the Japanese community and even encouraged people to develop stronger relationships with other minorities. He also condemned "the undemocratic evacuation of Japanese Americans” as the “greatest disgrace of Democracy since slavery.”

As many Japanese Americans were incarcerated, Black families relocated to predominately Asian communities like Little Tokyo in Los Angeles during the Great Migration from the South. Abreast of many Japanese Americans' return to their homes, the newspaper urged people to support their right to reclaim their homes.

5. LGBTQ+ Rights

Members of the LGBTQ+ community have often struggled with restrictive and discriminatory laws in addition to being the victims of hate crimes for decades. As the LGBTQ+ community fought for rights within the legal system, Black civil rights lawyer Alphonso David credit others like the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and the legal strategy of the NAACP, which challenged racial segregation, as the springboard for propelling the LGBTQ+ movement. 

In the controversial Supreme Court case Bowers v. Hardwick, which argued whether the Constitution grants people, specifically homosexuals, the right to consensual sodomy, Marshall was among the dissenting judges who said the court had an "obsessive focus on homosexual activity." It was said that a deciding factor in Marshall's vote was his friendship with civil rights activist Bayard Rustin who was openly gay. 

Additionally, Audre Lorde became a national icon in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, championing human rights and promoting acceptance of different races, sexualities and social classes through her poetry. Most notably, the author refused to exclusively categorize herself as Black or lesbian, rejecting the idea to prioritize one demographic over the other and instead focusing her time to fight for both disenfranchised communities.

While decades have passed since World War II, Black Americans continue to show up for others while receiving very little gain. The Black community's willingness to stand on the frontlines and continuous presence in the fight for justice for others has proven itself to be progressive for allies as we are forced to often stand alone in our own battles.