Asian American Hate Crimes: Independance Day for Some, Fear for Many
July 4th represents red, white, and blue... and a little bit of yellow, too. However, is the day still the same due to the recent crimes against Asians? And where did that hate come from?
July 4th, 2021 marks 245 years of independence for the U.S from England, and 75 years of independence for the Philippines from, well, the U.S.
However this independence, this freedom, what the U.S stands for, has not been delivered to Asian Americans this past year. I'm sure we're all aware of the spike in Asian hate crimes this past year and early this year as well. Due to misconceptions about the coronavirus, long-standing xenophobia, racism, and the fear yellow peril, the possibilites of how this happened are endless.
And to be honest, it's been a long journey to find the words that express how I've felt about this. I feel powerless reading about the violence committed against people that look like me, and it's taken me a while to speak up about it, and it's taken too long. So for Filipino Independence Day, I have decided to use my voice, my platform, and my words.
Did a Lab Leak the "China Virus"?
Last Saturday, former president Donald Trump held a rally in Ohio, in which he discussed a moving theory that the coronavirus was created and leaked from a lab in Wuhan, China, where the first case of coronavirus emerged from. However, it is simply a theory, a hypothesis, and has not been proven yet.
Why is this relevant? Because it's good ole' fashioned conspiracy theories, statements that are wildly not true and have been proven to be false, or have yet to be proven and confirmed. These rumors about the coronavirus were simply fuel for the hate against Asian Americans. Trump simply fed the fuel to the American public, spitting hateful speech against Asians (specifically Chinese-Americans) since 2020, weaponizing a virus that he himself couldn't even control. But this hate didn't spring out of nowhere.
Hidden Hate
To understand why this is happening, you must start from the very beginning. Many Asian Americans couldn’t enter the U.S without formal education or a wealthy status. There are multiple acts that ban poorer, uneducated Asians. The 1875 Page Act, the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, and the Immigration Act of 1924, to name a few.
Once they entered the U.S, most worked on the railroads (mainly the Chinese) or any other place where they could find work. So even at the start of immigration from Asia, Asians were forced to work to have a place in America. However, they were not seen as slaves, but above them. Majority of white people at the time viewed Asians as a hardworking race (since that was the only thing they could do: work).
So this ideology continued, it took a different form later in history, and developed in the model minority myth. In short, the model minority myth is a tool for pitting different communities of POC against each other. It perpetuates a stigma that all Asians are hardworking, intelligent, or wealthy, when in reality, that’s not always the case. We are still discriminated against, but that racism is more normalized, due to a so-called proximity to whiteness. In fact, some don’t speak up about it- that’s how normalized it is.
This is how hate crimes have erupted from the past year. Speaking upon it with a metaphor: xenophobia loads the gun, reoccurring racism today in society aim it, and coronavirus lies and misconceptions pull the trigger.
What You Can Do to Help
There are so many ways to help. The first is to get educated. This article is not enough. We encourage you to read more about Asian experiences and about the hate crimes.
You can uplift Asian voices by supporting organizations like AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander), Stop Asian Hate (also part of AAPI, this link has main links), and the Asian American Resource Center.
Speak out against hate crimes. If you are a witness to one, please speak out, intervene, or call the police.
Help support Asian-owned businesses and other Asian-owned establishments. Please keep in mind that even though COVID-19 is slowing, be mindful of others.
Reach out to your elected officials that aren't actively speaking out and doing anything about the situation. Press coverage may be limited and has died down recently, but that doesn't stop the hate.
Please stay safe! Thank you for reading, and have a good day.
Sources:
Rise in Asian Hate Crimes:
Model Minority Myth:
How to Help:
