On March 9, an 83-year-old Korean grandmother was brutally attacked on a sidewalk in Westchester, New York. She was spit on, pushed and knocked to the ground unconscious, left there to bleed to death until a fellow pedestrian came to her aid. On the same day in Oakland, California, a 75-year-old man from Hong-Kong fell victim to an unprovoked robbery and assault that resulted in his death three days after the incident.
These accounts of attacks upon the Asian community indicate a larger nation-wide narrative that has been revitalized in light of the COVID-19 outbreak that show the level of intolerance still brewing within American society.
Anti-Asian xenophobia in America is not new; there is a long and extensive pattern of prejudice towards Asians all throughout U.S history.
After Chinese laborers migrated to the States to provide cheap labor during the California Gold Rush in the 19th Century, but the surge in labor immigration from China resulted in the Chinese Exclusion-Act which created a 10 year ban on Chinese immigration. This was a result of the xenophobic propoganda spread by white nativists who called Chinese immigrants “yellow-peril” and claimed that they were the cause for viruses such as smallpox, malaria, and leprosy.
Once again in 1942 following the Pearl Harbor attack, roughly 120,000 Japanese-Americans were forced to relocate to internment camps all throughout World War II.
The habit of targeting a group of a certain race after atrocity hits is a common occurrence and has repeated itself once again with the infectious spread of the coronavirus.
According to data from the Stop AAPI Hate coalition, there were nearly 3,000 hate crimes in 2020 following the outbreak of the coronavirus. The Center for the study of Hate and Extremism at California University showed that Asian-American targeted hate crimes rose by 150% in 16 of the largest cities in the U.S, especially in places like Los Angeles and New York.
On a more local level, Asian-owned businesses were the target of looting and vandalization right in Howard County. Urban Hot Pot, Kung Fu Tea and Bonchon are some of the restaurants that were broken into during the Lunar New Year—a strategic decision made to dampen the celebrations of an otherwise joyous holiday.
The crass and revolting attacks upon the Asian community reflect the racist rhetoric and bigotry that remains ingrained within society that was only further catalysed by former President Donald Trump who referred to the coronavirus as the “China-virus.” It is evident that the coronavirus has been used as a mere scapegoat to perpetuate hate and discrimination towards the Asian community.
However, the recent attacks striked national outrage and the resistance became evident through the various protests nation-wide. Asian people and allies took to the streets with posters saying “#Stop Asian Hate” and “I am not a virus,” a notion that unfortunately needs to be vindicated right now.
In New York, there was a “Rise Up Against Anti-Asian Hate” rally in Foley Square, where Mayor Bill de Blasio exclaimed, “This is the message we have to get out, not just in New York City, but all over this country: Stop Asian Hate! Stop it now!” In the Bay Area, people rallied together to protest the series of harassment and violence inflicted upon Asian Americans in that area. Rally coordinator Evan Low D-Campbell stated that “It’s about making sure there’s visibility on this issue.” Fellow rally organizers followed, saying “now is the time for non-Asian allies to stand up in solidarity with our Asian and Pacific Islander neighbors.”
Anti-Asian discrimination is a problem that often gets dismissed or unnoticed. However, now that the surge in Asian targeted attacks has become more prevalent, it is important that, as a collective, we actively combat bigotry by advocating for marginalized groups as a reminder that ignorance and bigotry is not and should not be tolerated.
Article by Kristal Maimo of John F. Kennedy High School
Photo by May Pham of Walter Johnson High School