RESPECT Asian Lives

Asian-American racism more deep-rooted than COVID-19, encourage more conversations about
systemic racism

Throughout the course of the pandemic, Asian-Americans have been used as a scapegoat
for administrative failures. As a result, the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism
quantifies hate crimes against Asians have increased 150% this past year with one devastating
mass shooting in Atlanta leaving eight Asian women dead. In response, many people have taken
to various platforms to address the current racist narrative, yet have completely overlooked the
long history of racism that preceded COVID-19.

It’s not their fault, though. History classes rarely cover the brutal past policies intended to
target Asians—during WWII, Japanese-Americans were placed in internment camps under the
baseless assumption they were aiding Japan. Furthermore, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
banned Chinese immigration until 1943. But perhaps the biggest culprit for this ignorance is the
model minority myth: the stereotype that all Asians are successful.

This claim is false and harmful. First, it fails to account for why the success of some
Asians is even present in America. Our government’s past racist policies of immigration quotas
and selective recruitment of educated Asians enabled their success, not the “American Dream”.
But second, the generalization ignores reality. In fact, the Urban Institute finds that 12.3% of
Asian-Americans live below the poverty level, disproportionately affecting certain groups within
the Asian community. The Asian-American demographic is extremely diverse and by
conforming the entire group into a single stereotype, we completely overlook the struggles they
face.

Moreover, the model minority myth harms other racial groups. As explained by Janelle
Wong, the director of Asian American Studies at the University of Maryland, the use of the
perceived success of Asian-Americans as a racial wedge has minimized the persistent struggles
of other racial minorities. By making a comparison between Asian-Americans and other groups,
particularly Black-Americans, it allows people to perpetuate that racism, including more than
300 years of slavery and Jim Crow laws, can be overcome by “hard work”.

Thus, it’s vital that we view Asian-American racism beyond the lens of COVID-19. By
failing to acknowledge the many systemic barriers placed against Asians, we ignore the history
of oppression that Asians continue to face. Use this time as a means to educate yourself and
engage in conversations about Asian-American racism not only for the Asian community, but for
all people of color.