By Mahbuba Sumiya
Asia is the largest continent in the world, where many ethnic groups live — not just Chinese. Yet, many Asian Americans have experienced a recent surge in racist attacks due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Hostile attitudes toward Asian Americans aren’t new. “There’s a long history of blaming Asia and Asian migrants and, by extension, Asian Americans for outbreaks of disease. COVID-19 is just the most current example of this history,” stated Cathy Ceniza Choy for the Berkeley News at the University of California.
Along with the fear of the spread, COVID-19 has also given rise to harassment and many racist remarks against Asian Americans across the United States. President Donald Trump has called COVID-19 the “Chinese virus” and the “Kung flu”. Trump stated at a White House press conference that the coronavirus could have been stopped in Wuhan, China, where the first case of COVID-19 was discovered. It is unethical for someone with high authority to criticize a certain group of people. After her classmate said Chinese people are “disgusting” and “dirty,” Katherine Oung, a teenager in Florida, told the New York Times, “As the coronavirus spreads, there’s another virus spreading that we need to be talking about.” Many Asian Americans are being bombarded with hateful racist comments from many of their peers and community members. Many Asian Americans, including myself, who live in Detroit, are anxious about being targeted by coronavirus racism. Last month, the Detroit Free Press reported “an elderly Chinese American had his grocery cart spat on by someone.”
The coronavirus is spreading rapidly, and so is discrimination against Asians. It is a difficult time for everyone. Many people are feeling frustrated and angry, but it’s important to respect every group despite the generalizations that are being made about certain races.
What is happening now is similar to the hatred Muslims faced after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. On that tragic day, innocent Muslims around the world were turned from practicing Islam peacefully to practicing with fear. That was before I was born, but I still vividly remember the day I learned about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks from a newspaper. I remember asking my siblings what they did when this situation was happening and one of them said, “Because of 9/11, we weren’t able to come to the United States early in our life.” 9/11 was transformative for all Muslims and not in a positive way. Many Muslims were not only afraid to be their true selves outside of their comfort zone but were ashamed to call themselves Muslim. 9/11 is an example of Islamist extremism. Terrorists, rioters, and beggars are just a few words that have been used to describe Muslims. Associating incidents or diseases with countries, regions, or religions with a certain ethnic group creates a stigma against certain races that are already marginalized.
Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, said, “The virus is a virus. It does not have a race or ethnicity. We cannot let fear during this uncertain time turn people toward prejudice and hate.” Now is the time for Asian Americans to speak up and educate others. A crisis does not last forever, but its impact is everlasting. Crises provide people with the opportunity to speak out and become stronger as a community. Any sort of racism that subjects certain groups can be solved by educating the general public on how to be careful with the words they use. Simply telling people that their ideologies are racist is not going to change any of their perspectives. However, educating them on the ideologies they hold and the effect it can have on another person is crucial to creating a more united country.
Rising Voices of Asian American Families is doing just that. Formed as a nonprofit to promote civic engagement at the electoral and policy level, this organization started a #NoAAPIHate campaign to provide Asian Americans with a platform that allows them to speak out during this pandemic.
COVID-19 is a disease, but Asian Americans are not. They are human beings, who are facing the same deadly virus as the rest of the world.
About the writer: Mahbuba Sumiya (17) lives in Detroit, Michigan and attends Benjamin Carson High School of Science and Medicine. She loves storytelling. All throughout her high school journey, she has been involved with poetry, journalism, and scientific research. Anything that challenges Mahbuba intellectually, she loves being in that environment.
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