The Divide Between Communities: It’s Time for Change
Content note: This is a heavy one but of utmost importance. At StandPoint Public Affairs, we stand against all violence but Cindy Huang’s story shared below reflects our deep concern for disturbing trends and our desire to assist other organizations in ending the violence.
In the past several weeks, we’ve seen a series of violent attacks against Asian Americans, ranging from brutal assaults to fatal robberies. And most recently, the senseless killing of eight 8 people, most of them Asian-American Women in Atlanta, Georgia. We mourn the loss of life and grieve for the families that have been taken by this misogynistic hate crime.
Asian Stereotypes Holding Us Back
This series of events has left many of my fellow members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community feeling unsafe, angry, frustrated, and disappointed. Having “a bad day” does not justify the deaths of 8 people. Many articles have also surfaced on how these women were sex workers, low-income earning minorities, and that they are referred to as “women of Asian descent” versus Asian American Women. The media often portrays two types of stereotypes for Asian Americans: “the model minority myth” and the “perpetual foreigner myth”, both of which I know well. And when we don’t fit the smart, educated successful “model minority”, and upward mobility of Asian American success, this downplays them into a stereotype even after it has been clear several were not recent immigrants.
Asian Americans are so easily and so often stereotyped, they are put into categories and not seen as people. Not individuals who have to work to make their life into something, people who have families to raise, all while doing their best to adapt in their homeland. The victims of this most recent violence were people and they had families at home. The fact that media headlines do not describe the killings in Atlanta are a hate crime, but instead attribute them as a “sexual addiction,” is symptomatic of the fact that minority women are not respected. Since the beginning of the pandemic, hate crimes against Asians and xenophobia have increased tremendously fueled by false rhetoric surrounding COVID-19, and much of the anger directed toward Asian women, too. However, exclusion and marginalization of the AAPI is not anything new. The Wall Street Journal recently issued an opinion piece entitled “The Wuhan Whitewash” which only enforce racist beliefs. Where is the accountability to positive change? Our communities are tired and hurting.
Creating a Wedge Between Communities
As an Asian American born in the United States, I grieve for the families as Americans. These women did nothing wrong and deserve the recognition that they were human. This pandemic has disproportionately affected communities of color and minorities. Let’s not forget the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless other Black Americans that have sparked world-wide protests. Our communities are hurting on so many levels. Interestingly, hate crimes are reportedly down 7% in 16 of America’s Largest cities in 2020, yet crimes targeting people of Asian descent are up almost 150% according to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. We have become scapegoats for the COVID-19 Pandemic and there is a growing wedge between the Asian and Black communities. In St. Louis, racial tensions described as black and white has long left Asian Americans feeling alienated and forgotten. We must not trade one form of discrimination with another.
Because Asians are perceived to be hard-working, smart, and successful in “living the American Dream,” the “model minority” myth obscures the unique role racism plays in the persistent struggles of each racial/ethnic minority group. Asians have faced various forms of discrimination, abuse, internment, and enslavement in the 1800s during the transcontinental rail road in the United States, but never on the same scale as the systematic dehumanization that Black people have faced during slavery, the Jim Crow era, and the continued examples of police brutality and discrimination caught on phones. It is not through comparison of groups but mutual recognition that we can address these historic issues.
Addressing Racism
My hope is that we can one day openly talk about and address the problems we face together as Americans. To begin, we need to recognize the history of anti-Asian racism, from past political laws and social behaviors to learning and understanding the unique experiences of AAPI individuals. We must practice adaptive and inclusive leadership more consistently by listening and amplifying AAPI voices just as we must also call out any anti-black, hispanic, or native sentiment because no one deserves to be abused, tortured, or killed. It is not about choosing sides between our communities, but choosing unity and an equitable path forward for everyone. Continued division must simply not be tolerated in any community. When we stand and support one another together, we stand together for all who are victims of systemic racism, prejudice, and injustice.
I hope you join me in a renewed commitment to combat hate, wherever we see it happening to anyone. We need create the space to hold difficult conversations about these issues and make a habit of holding people accountable for their actions and words. Even if you do not think racism doesn’t affect you, do not ignore it. We need to confront the uncomfortable and demand that hatred will not be tolerated. Realizing justice for AAPI communities and Black communities together and honoring diverse cultures and our full humanity is part of a vision for systematic change. We can no longer outrun our past and dismiss this injustice. The history is there, and it’s time for change.
Homework
Here are five ways you can choose today to better support the AAPI community:
Donate to the families of the Atlanta shooting victims as their loved ones are no longer living to support them.
Donate to Stop AAPI Hate. Stop AAPI Hate compiles reports of hate crimes against the Asian community throughout the U.S. This organization provides support to victims of these crimes, and also help advocate social and political protections for the community.
Educate yourself to better understand how racism has played out in the U.S. through public policies and social behaviors. We must confront this history if we are to move forward and end racism and violence directed at AAPIs. Learning the history can help you understand the importance of the need for change.
Mark your calendars for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month every May and celebrate the rich contributions to how AAPI have shaped US History and enrich communities.
Stay informed. Allies must continue to stay updated on policies and movements, sharing accurate information and be informed on the facts. Here are some links to check out:
· Keep seeking fact-based information. Here’s a link to the latest report from Stop AAPI Hate
· Do a bystander training as a team/group event: Hollaback! offers free trainings
· Download Asian American Federation’s Anti-Hate Safety Resources or watch their Self-Defense Strategies To Keep Yourself Safe in the Streets videos
If by reading this, you recognize a need to improve your messaging surrounding this or other issues, we would love to help. Let’s schedule a call.
