Op-Ed: We’ve Had Enough!
We – Asian Americans (yes, that includes ALL Americans of South/East Asian and Pacific Islander descent) have had enough of this ugly hatred against us. We’ve had enough of all the vitriol, diminishing us and erasing us into nothingness like we don’t matter. WE ALL MATTER!
Even before this pandemic started, we watched in silence as our properties were looted and our businesses were burned down. We were made scapegoats to the anger against society’s economic woes. Yet no one expected us to complain because we are the invisible victims. For far too long, mainstream culture ridiculed our physical features, mocked our customs, and sexually objectified our women. And now, during this worldwide pandemic, we are once again blamed as an entire group for a virus we did not cause or for someone’s fetishes.
Racism does not require logical thinking. It is oftentimes unconsciously minimized and conveniently made into excuses to direct hate towards innocent victims. When COVID-19 was termed the “China Virus”, it painted a large target behind the heads of every Asian American. This kind of language emboldened acts of hate and set ablaze the fire of bigotry across the nation.
Very few people know about the Chinese Massacre of 1871 that took place in Los Angeles Chinatown in which 17 Chinese men were lynched by a mob of 500 rioters. Of those 500 rioters, only 10 were put on trial. All charges were later dropped and no reparations were ever made. The truth is, this tragedy received little coverage; and to this day, it has been brushed over in our history books, never getting the attention it deserves. 150 years later, this type of hate against Asian Americans still permeates our society.
No longer will we tolerate these hate crimes. These racists have cowardly targeted our elderly who sacrificed blood, sweat, and tears to provide for us just so that we can live the kind of life that they could only dream of – the American dream. Our hearts break seeing them attacked helplessly because in our culture, they are held with high regard and the greatest respect.
Many of us are not strangers from a foreign land. Our roots were planted in American soil and sowed back into the community. Our sacrifices and sufferings are weaved into the fabric of America. Being faithful citizens, our entire race obediently endured internment camps despite our allegiance to the United States. The United States of America cannot be what it is today without the immense contributions from the Asian American community. In times past, our ancestors gave their lives to building the transcontinental railroads that connect all of America, and today we are fighting alongside other Americans as frontline workers against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Please stop seeing us through stereotypes. We won’t play the model minority anymore. Our culture tells us to suck it up and work hard because getting along with others was the only way to survive. However, the need to be heard and represented is necessary for us to move forward. Please engage us in diversity talks and include our faces in leadership positions. Show us that we matter by ensuring accountability when we courageously disclose being harassed.
We are part of the County family. We are your friends when you need a shoulder to cry on. We are your teammates when you need support. We are your neighbors when you need a helping hand. We ask that you stand with us when we’re hurting. We ask that you’ll support us in our time of greatest need.
And to our fellow Asian Americans, we can no longer stay complicit and let others dictate the conversation. Find courage to speak up and make sure the country hears us. #UnitedInAction
