Excuses for racism should never be tolerated no matter the situation, time, and place. As COVID-19 cases continue to spread throughout the world, cases of racism towards different asian ethnic groups, particularly Chinese and Chinese-Americans, are targeted as culprits for the coronavirus. Ranging from verbal to physical attacks, stories of racism towards asian people have been more prevalent as of today. In one of the worst cases in February, a college student from the University College London, Jonathan Mok, was assaulted by a group of men just by simply looking at them. Mok reported that one of them said something about the coronavirus at him, and when Mok looked at the group, stunningly, one man shouted “Don’t you dare look at me” and within 3 seconds, Mok was beaten up by the man, together with three or four other young men and a young lady. Mok also reported that one of them said “I don’t want your coronavirus in my country” while he received the beating.
23-year-old Jonathon Mok’s case is just one out of many racism cases towards Asians and Asian-Americans across the globe. These cases not only show the ignorance towards the issue, but also reveal the hatred that some people already had hidden towards certain ethnic groups. In order to tackle this issue, we, asian people, must stand as one to voice out to those who oppress us. As mentioned in Dr. Valverde’s book, Fight the Tower, “It is time to stand our ground and hold the abusers accountable for their actions. Our voices grow every day, and our stories fill a sea of discontent” (Valverde, 2013). Change happens collectively, and there is no other way of defeating the enemy unless we unite as one.
Baer, Stephanie K. “An Asian Student Said He Was Beaten Up By Men Who Yelled ‘I Don't Want Your Coronavirus In My Country.’” BuzzFeed News. BuzzFeed News, March 4, 2020. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/
Valverde, K. C. (2013). Fight the Tower: Asian American Women Scholar’s Resistance and Renewal in the Academy. Rutgers University Press.
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