The pandemic escalated hate crimes and xenophobia against Asian-Americans, particularly the Chinese, in the US, as they presumed that Coronavirus originated in China. Tabassum takes a hard look and examines the issue. An exclusive for Different Truths. 

“Do not do to others what you don’t want done to you.” ~ An ancient Chinese saying.                                        

The Coronavirus pandemic has been hard on a lot of people in the United States of America. But there is one community who has faced a unique crisis, the Asian community. Atlanta shootings that killed six Asian women on March 16 night sparked fears in the Asian-American community. It is still unknown if they were motivated by racial hatred. President Joe Biden has expressed strong concern and pledged commitment to the community beyond the crisis during his visit to Atlanta after the attack.  

Their situation has only been getting worse. The community has been suffering since the beginning of the pandemic. A CNBC report says a wave of violence against elderly Asian-Americans put communities across the country on edge. The Coronavirus’s origin is presumed to be in China. It has caused a backlash against Asian-Americans. According to CBS weekend news, a 91-year-old, an elder in Oakland’s Chinatown was pushed down violently on January 31, this year, and it was one of three attacks that day. 

A video was released by the Oakland China Chamber of Commerce, which shows how mercilessly and inhumanly a 91-year-old Asian-American was pushed down by unknown attackers. These incidents are just the tip of the iceberg and show how powerless Asian-Americans are against discrimination. After seeing the footage, actor and producer Daniel Wu and Daniel Dae Kim spoke out and offered a $25,000 reward for an arrest. Dae Kim said that the way they see it, it was not one community against another. It was everyone versus racism. The video was horrifying to watch. 

People were attacking Asians in America, even 91-year-old ones just because the Coronavirus is presumed to have originated in China and countless propaganda against China by the Western media. This reasoning is insane. Good for Daniel Wu and Daniel Dae Kim for putting up the cash award for an arrest. But it is sad, that they even had to resort to this. If one knows that someone racially attacked a senior citizen, one should snitch on sight. No incentives should be needed. And while a lot of people are talking about the situation now, the truth is it is not exactly new. It has been building since the very beginning of the pandemic. 

The Asian American community has effectively faced two pandemics in America. The first is the Covid-19 pandemic, and the second is the virus of racism that they have faced. Asian-American Advancing Justice has cited at least 3,000 anti-Asian incidents since last February 2020. In New York City, there was an 867% increase in Asian hate crime victims, in 2020, compared to the year before. Advocates say the attacks became more prevalent after former President Trump began routinely using racist language to describe the pandemic. 

People blaming China for the virus is a stigma. It sparked some dangerous incidents. Some are documented on social media. The news Channel PBS News Hour released a Facebook video of KAOPRA LOR, Plymouth, Indiana. In the video, a hotel clerk was asking Kaopra Lor that the manager had to know if Kaopra was from China or not. When Kaopra wanted to find out the reason, the manager replied that Coronavirus was going around. The manager was told that anyone from China to be picked up and quarantined for two weeks. 

Quarantine rules apply to all not only to the Chinese people and Asian-Americans. The sick perception that Asian American people are carrying the virus is xenophobia and racism at its best. People can stop these kinds of hate crime by contacting organisations by reporting hate crimes. People can be volunteers to be a chaperone where these kinds of hate crimes are happening or by donating to stop hate crimes. But is it that easy? The peoples’ mindset needs to be changed. Only Daniel Wu and Daniel Dae Kim among Hollywood celebrities came up to spoke about the hate crimes. And they are Asian-Americans. 

Innocent people, including immigrants, who have been subjected to hate crimes for “bringing the virus” to the country for decades called the country home. In America, from New York to Indiana to California not just Chinese but people who looked Asian have been threatened, refused service, or physically attacked since the beginning of the pandemic. 

These hate crimes may give birth to movements like Black Lives Matter. In the community there are talks of discrimination. Many have started to open their mouths including US Army veterans of the Asian-American lineage. Many unreported cases and history of racism are coming out through the reporting of esteemed newspapers like The New Yorker, Harvard Gazette, Voice of America, The New York Times. 

President Biden has described these hate crimes as “Un-American” though he could not escape criticism. Critics say that there are no Cabinet secretaries of Asian-American or Pacific Islander descent in Biden’s administration despite the president’s pledge to reflect the nation’s diversity. It is a diplomatic nightmare as well as Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed hopes that U.S. rectifies discriminatory practices against Asian-Americans amid the increasing attacks against the group. It is a matter of international reputation as well. The victims are also from Japan, Korea, and South-East Asia and the people who look like Chinese but are not from Chinese ancestry. The Asian-American community is now demanding equal civil rights, better education. It is a matter of time to see how other communities like African-American, Latinos, and churches come to their aids. 

Hate crimes against Asian-Americans have skyrocketed because some people have decided to fan the flames of racism, misinformation, and hate. These people have decided to use virus excuses to commit hate crimes towards people from Asian origin. These are the people who believe in systemic racism and xenophobia and want to continue the tale of racism in the USA. 

The disease can break out in any part of the world because of all kinds of reasons. Does the virus decide cities, villages or countries? Viruses do not care about borders, colours, ethnicities, races, or religions. It is counterproductive. It is time to cut the nonsense and focus on the real issue of how to save lives and face new variants. Those who harness such racist thoughts to advocate harmful hate crimes are the ones who should be identified and prosecuted to stop this unacceptable racism, xenophobia and hate crimes.

Sources

·         CGTN

·         CNBC

·         The Guardian

·         NBC

·         NBC NEWYORK

·         CBS Weekend News

·         advancingjustice-aajc.org

Photo sourced by the author and visual by Different Truths

Tabassum Tahmina Shagufta Hussein

Tabassum Tahmina Shagufta Hussein is an aesthete from Dhaka, Bangladesh and MA holder in British and American literature. She is a poet from unheard voices that deals with the Rohingya Refugees, human rights, freedom of expression, typical human desires etc. A humanitarian freelance writer, her poems have appeared in literary magazines. She seeks beauty from the blade of grass to twinkling stars. Aestheticism is the essence of her existence.

See Full Bio