SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane native Brock Woodson leaves behind close friends and business customers when he reads or hears any racist remark towards his family.
Woodson loves making knives. It's a hobby he pursued during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I didn’t plan on starting this business," Brock said.
He’s been forging his own knives for the past seven months, working hard to maintain and continue to grow his small business.
"I have customers all over the US and into Canada. So far, it’s still really small, I'm still trying to pay things off," Brock said.
It's been successful, though, as his knives run from $300 all the way up to thousands. One possible reason for his success and his focus is his time serving the United States in the Marines.
“I’m a Marine Corps vet, served 2003 to 2007. I was infantry, Special Operations Group. [I] went to Iraq 06-07 short stint in the Army Reserves as a medic,” said Brock.
A few years later in 2018, Brock decided after being newly single from a previous marriage that he was ready to meet someone. That’s when he met Katie, a Korean-American woman originally from Seoul, Korea, who has lived in Spokane for most of her life.
“We met online, and it was a very upfront first date. I mean everything from politics, religion. My thing at the time never getting married, no more kids, and a year later, let’s have a kid and get married!” Brock said
The two fell in love for similar reasons. Katie described her husband as driven and focused and Brock described his wife as the smartest woman he knows.
Amid what felt like a fairytale, Brock noticed people would stare when they’d be out and about for dinner or at a grocery store. While this isn’t an example of direct racism, Brock said he noticed people acting different around his wife Katie.
“It stands out to me, and I don’t want to point it out to her. I think it would make her feel uncomfortable,” Brock said.
Soon enough, he started noticing his friends making comments such as, “You’re stepping out of your heritage,” or, “Mail order bride?” That’s when he began to take action.
“I began excommunicating some friends, and even customers” Brock said.
“I wasn’t worried before raising a half-Asian child, until last year or so. Things have been different,” Katie said.
Katie said she's on guard most of the time, but even more so with her son. Their son Lane is now 19 months old. Katie said she wants to protect him from racism of any kind in this world.
“Racial tension has been significantly higher in the country, and I think there are a lot of issues coming up with that comes with people with really strong opposing views, and that frightens me” Katie said.
The family of three now lives day to day hoping for the best, but Brock said a message to people who may not know what racism is to make an effort to learn and educate yourself.
"People that have never dealt with racism, you don’t see it, and I know myself. I was in the Marine Corps. .. you don’t see racism, you’re not supposed to, everybody’s green. I never really did, I was blind to it. Certain things around my life has pointed it out. I think [if] you have don’t experiences, the sad unfortunate truth is that it does happen, it has happened.”
Racism toward Asian Americans is not something new. Recently, the group Stop AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) Hate released a national report showing nearly 4,000 incidents of reported hate incidents.
Experts said the #StopAsianHate movement will take some time, but in an effort to be better as a whole, education is the best method.
There are ways people can make a different right here in their own community. People can visit the STOP AAPI Hate website and find ways to make a change.