2020 has been an eventful year, with the novel Coronavirus being one of the most notable of these events so far. Not only has it affected most of the world’s countries and their economies, but it has also impacted us on a personal level, forcing us to practice ‘social distancing’ and sanitary measures as a means to prevent further spread of this virus.
Unfortunately, with these positive or helpful practices there are also negative biases and discrimination coming to light. There have been numerous cases of Asians or Asian-Americans being harassed, both physically and verbally, due to some notion that these groups have to be held responsible since the virus originated from Asia. As noted in a New York Times article (2020), these racist attacks have come to a point where there is a “debate among Asian-Americans […] over whether to wear a mask in public” since “[w]earing one risks drawing unwanted attention; but not wearing one does, too,” and that the negative attention they gain from wearing a mask can be “more dangerous than the virus,” which highlights how vicious some of these attacks have become. With these discriminatory actions taking place, this course topic is more relevant than ever as it shows how others can suddenly alienate Asians and Asian-Americans from within their own group and form negative biases with no logical basis.
It is important that we see this blatant racism for what it is and take steps to support Asians and Asian-Americans who are currently at risk of hate crimes. We should remind them that they are not alone and although there are those who hold negative biases against them, there are also others who see the irrationality of these biases. After reading Professor Valverde’s article in Fight the Tower, I realize that this is exactly the message that she conveys in her article albeit concerning a different case of racism against women of color in academia. Although these two issues are different in the population they affect, her recommendations such as creating a support network and standing your ground can be applied to combat these biases and show solidarity with those afflicted. My question now is, what else can we do to show these affected populations what they are not alone?
References:
Senne, S. (2020, March 12) Asian American leaders in Massachusetts condemn what they say is racism, fear-mongering and misinformation. [Online Image]. Associated Press News. https://apnews.com
Tavernise, S. & Oppel, R. A. Jr. (2020, March 24). Spit On, Yelled At, Attacked: Chinese-Americans Fear for Their Safety. New York Times, Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com
Valverde, K.-L. C. (2013). Fight the Tower: A Call to Action for Women of Color in Academia. Seattle Journal for Social Justice, 12(2). Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu
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