AAPI Hate Crimes

By: David Rendon-Garcia

Hate crimes against AAPI (Asian-American and Pacific Islander) have surged ever since the COVID-19 pandemic drastically affected all of our lives. During the course of March 19, 2020, to February 28, 2021, there have been a total of 3,795 hate incidents directed towards AAPI. Although it may seem like these hate crimes have “come out of nowhere”, they stem from xenophobia, white supremacy, and the model minority myth.

The model minority myth is an idea that gained the public eye during and after World War II. This myth was developed from Asian-Americans’ economic success, making them the “ideal” BIPOC (Black, Indigenous person(s) of color) immigrant. It is the belief that all Asian-Americans are successful, fortunate, and problem-free, and makes them the “perfect immigrant”: obedient, well-mannered, smart, and submissive. This myth also views AAPI as perpetual foreigners. It commonly occurs in the media with movies and TV shows. Common roles that Asians are made to portray are people with heavy accents, women who can not drive, men as Kung Fu masters, sex workers, and especially doctors as well as intelligent students. This myth is harmful because it erases their unique backgrounds and experiences. It creates a hierarchy with BIPOC, by setting Asian-Americans at the top and placing BIPOC against each other in a form of competition. This myth causes groups like white supremacists to express anger towards the AAPI community because of their successes.

During the pandemic, many Asian-Americans faced discrimination because COVID originated in China. Since many Asians are categorized as Chinese, it led to people acting racist. Many were told to go back to China and were verbally assaulted with derogatory language. This is xenophobia, which is the fear or prejudice against foreigners. In the past few months, we have seen some prominent republican political figures act xenophobic towards AAPI. As an example, Mike Pompeo referred to COVID-19 as the “Wuhan virus” several times. Also, the Senator of Texas, John Cornyn, said “China is to blame because of the culture where people eat bats, snakes and dogs and things like that” during a conference call with several news reporters.

https://www.theskimm.com/news/history-of-anti-asian-racism-in-the-united-states-3eBqGfaF6V0gIo76VYXtUZ

Former President Trump defending Cornyn and said it wasn’t racist because it originated in China. He had a history of referring to the virus several times as “Chinese flu”, “Wuhan virus”, and “Kung flu”. Trump was not the cause of the hatred, but he did use his office to spread hate towards AAPI. It is unclear if it was intentional or not, but it still occurred. Due to the fact that he was at the face of the country, his use of xenophobia made it appear acceptable for people to make similar comments. Political parties in the USA, UK, and around the globe have used the COVID-19 pandemic to continue with anti-immigration policies, white supremacist actions, xenophobic ideologies, and conspiracy theories. This is harmful because it vilifies migrants that come to the USA for a better life.

Asian-Americans have been the target of xenophobia throughout the course of U.S history. For example, the Chinese massacre was one of the worst lynchings in U.S history that took place in Los Angeles, 1871. A mob of white and Latino civilians killed 16 Chinese men. In 1875, the Page Exclusion Act was passed, which affected all Asians, but specifically targeted Asian women. They were seen as prostitutes and were stereotyped that they carried STDs more than white women. Due to this, Asian women were viewed as objects, and not people, which led to over-sexualization. In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was put in place to ban Chinese migration for ten years. This ban was enacted because there was propaganda about Chinese uncleanliness that was spread around by white nativists. Following that was the Geary Act, which extended the Chinese Exclusion Act for an additional ten years. Furthermore, Asian immigrants were forced to carry special legal paperwork that proved their residency. Whoever did not have it, was forced to work hard labor and face deportation.

As I mentioned earlier, hate crimes against AAPI come from several issues, like white supremacy, and xenophobia. Looking at the hate crimes themselves, the rate of anti-Asian hate has risen 150% since 2020. They have become more prevalent in big cities, such as NYC, and workspaces. The most common form of anti-Asian hate is verbal harassment. That is followed by shunning, physical assault, violation of civil rights, and cyberbullying. Unfortunately, people from other marginalized communities are responsible for anti-Asian hate as well. The source of this racial violence is white supremacy and its ideologies. One example of this is the model minority myth. By setting AAPI at the top, it pits marginalized groups of people against each other, instead of working together to fight the system. It sets them against each other and creates resentment among other groups.

Now, what can we do to prevent this? It is important to speak out when you see hate firsthand. The number of hate crimes that are reported each year is predicted to be underreported, out of fear. Educate your family, friends, and people close to you. Another important thing to do is listen to the voices of AAPI. Value their experiences and their bravery for speaking out. Supporting Asian businesses is also an effective way to support the AAPI community. And lastly, educate yourself and research. Learn more about AAPI discrimination, and their experiences.

sources used –

https://www.campaignmonitor.com/blog/email-marketing/model-minority-myth/

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/there-were-3-800-anti-asian-racist-incidents-mostly-against-n1261257

https://www.theskimm.com/news/history-of-anti-asian-racism-in-the-united-states-3eBqGfaF6V0gIo76VYXtUZ

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/the-long-history-of-racism-against-asian-americans-in-the-u-s