Coronavirus is making Equal Pay Day for women of color even worse

NAPAWF

Today (March 31) is Equal Pay Day for American women. The day symbolizes how long it would take American women to “catch up” to the average earnings of white men working in the same positions — and when broken out into specific ethnicities, AAPI women fare far worse than the model minority stereotype would suggest.

The good news is that before February and March, the pay gap was getting smaller. But the bad news: The Coronavirus happened.

“On Equal Pay Day 2020, we face yet another threat to economic justice—this time in the form of a pandemic, said Ms. Foundation for Women President and CEO Teresa C. Younger in a statement.

“There is a certain irony in celebrating Equal Pay Day during this historic time in the United States,” said Younger. “Today, as women around the country are suffering from lost wages, cut hours, and facing extreme economic hardships due to the spread of COVID-19, the pre-existing gaps in pay inequality are even more reprehensible."

Compared to other women of color, Asian American and Pacific Islander women are on the higher end of the wage gap earning on average 92 cents for every dollar earned by men. The Equaly Pay Day for AAPI women was observed Feb. 11.

RELATED: AAPI Equal Pay Day highlights disparities between AAPI communities.

The model minority myth is used to cover up reality for most Asian American and Pacific Islanders. The success of a few doesn't make up for the vast majority of AAPI workers.


“Race and ethnicity, age, whether you’re a mother -- all these things affect how a woman experiences the wage gap. Because Asian American and Pacific Islander people are often lumped together and considered a monolith that is the ‘model minority,’ the reality of our struggles is made intentionally invisible," said National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum Executive Director Sung Yeon Choimorrow.

If you break it down into specific Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, the wage gap grows.

For certain communities, the wage gap is far greater. Vietnamese women earn $0.64, Hmong women earn $0.57, and Burmese women earn only $0.50, making them some of the lowest paid people in the nation. Even within high earning fields, Asian women are paid less than their male counterparts. "Model-minority" rhetoric is racist, classist, divisive, and just plain wrong. 

Here a list of what women by other racial groups make compared to white men, and their Equal Pay Day for 2020. 

• Asian American and Pacific Islander women: February 11, $0.92
• Black women: August 13, $0.62
• Native American women: October 1, $0.57
• Latina women: November 2, $0.54

Those professions heavily populated by women are suffering under the policies in place to combat the coronavirus.

Today (March 31), because sales have dramatically dropped because of the stay-at-home policies mandated by local jurisdictions, Macy's announced it will begin furloughing most of its 130,000 employees across the nation. Most of those will be women working as retail clerks in their stores.

Thousands of restaurants employing waitresses have been forced to shut down, day care providers have been laid off as the children have stopped coming because their mothers are at working at home or have lost their jobs, the hotel industry is laying off workers, because the hotels are empty.

Amid the pandemic, "Many hourly wage, gig and contract workers lack paid sick leave, family leave, and medical leave at a time when our national health and economy are under threat," said Younger. "Women comprise two-thirds of this workforce, and a disproportionate amount of these women are women of color, who now may face reduced hours, alongside the challenges of homeschooling children and tending to family members across generations.”

Knife attack on father and his 2 young children labeled a hate crime

A Burmese American man and his children suffered facial cuts in a hate attack in Midland, Texas.

The stabbings of three Burmese Americans, father and his two young children, in Midland, Texas is being labeled a hate crime by the FBI.

The report obtained by ABC News warned that the upsurge in hate crimes against Asian Americans will likely increase as the impact of the coronavirus affects more people.

The FBI report detailed the March 14 incident in which "three Asian American family members, including a 2-year-old girl and 6-year-old son, were stabbed … The suspect indicated that he stabbed the family because he thought the family was Chinese, and infecting people with the coronavirus."

Nineteen-year old Jose L. Gomez, III was arrested and confessed to the attack on the father and sons at a Sam's Club. An employee who tried to help the family was also injured.'

An off-duty Border Control agent and the employee were able to take the weapon away from the suspect and detained him until police arrived.

The father and children were slashed across their faces. The son has a cut reaching from behind his ear all the way across to his eye.

CORRECTION March 31: Earlier versions of this story incorrectly identified the 2-year old as a son.

Two AAPI health professionals die from COVID-19

Dr. Alex Hsu, left, and nurse Araceli Buendia Llagan died from the coronavirus.

ASAM NEWS

An ICU nurse from Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami has become the latest health worker who died after treating patients for coronavirus, reports CBS4.

The death of Araceli Buendia Llagan, a Filipina American, comes three days after Dr. Alex Hsu, 67, of Broward County, Florida died on March 24, according to the Sun Sentinel.

Ît is not clear if the two contracted COVID-19 from treating patients or elsewhere.

“Araceli dedicated nearly 33 years of her life treating some of our most critically ill patients,” Jackson Memorial Hospital said in a statement. “During her long and storied career, she also mentored and trained other nurses, and was a champion for the profession. As we battle this global public health crisis, caregivers throughout the world are bravely serving on the frontlines, often putting their patients’ lives before theirs. These medical professionals – people like Araceli – are the true heroes, and we salute them all.”

Hsu’s daughter declined to comment, telling the Sun Sentinel “I really need to be with my family.”

“It’s so sad,” a receptionist at Hsu’s medical office told the paper.

Last Tuesday in New York City,  Mount Sinai Hospital West nurse Kious Kelly, 48, died. The hospital was reportedly suffering a shortage of personal protection gear, according to the Daily Mail.

The danger facing medical personnel caring for those infected with the coronavirus is high because of the shortage of personal protective gear.

“When nurses and doctors get sick from this virus who is going to be left to take care of the public?”  asked registered nurse Bonnie Castillo, exectutive director of National Nurses United, the nation's largest union of nurses. The NNU has been pushing for more personal protective gear such as masks and gowns, ventilators and tests. 

Despite the risk of contracting COVID-19, nurses and doctors continue to show up to work.

Views From the Edge contributed to this report.

Coronavirus concerns forces FANHS to cancel its annual convention

The pandemic causing major life and work changes throughout the world has caused the cancelation of the biennial convention of  advocates and educators of Filipino American history.

Due to the ongoing concerns about the coronavirus (COVID-19), the impact of travel restrictions and the need for social distancing, the 18th Biennial Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) Conference that was scheduled to take place July 15-18, 2020, in Waikiki, Hawaii, has been canceled with the unanimous approval by the FANHS Board of Trustees, 

"We decided to make this extraordinary and heartbreaking decision in response to the direction by health authorities, government officials, and the World Health Organization (WHO) who have declared COVID-19 a pandemic," the group said in a statement released first on social media on Sunday.

"We are sorry the 2020 Conference had to be canceled, but we have a clear responsibility to act for the health and well-being of our FANHS members," the statement continued.

The group will go ahead and start planning for the 2022 FANHS Biennial National Conference is scheduled for its headquarters in Seattle, Washington, to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of FANHS.

For those who had already registered and paid their fees, refunds will be issued by the host chapter in Hawaii.

Those who have already made hotel and flight reservations must contact the hotels and airlines separately to get refunds according to the individual policies of those businesses.

Check www.fanhs-national.org and follow FANHS National on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates.  #FANHS2020.

The State of Hawaii is currently practicing the "stay-at-home" policies adopted many states to avoid spreading the coronavirus. That includes the cancellation of any events that might draw large gatherings such as the FANHS convention. Although the policies might end this Spring, the threat of the virus  is still a major concern of health experts because there is not a vaccine and one is not expected for at least another year.

"As a national community, we work to transform our history and a sense of pride in our identity," concludes the statement. "Our community strength will carry us forward through this difficult time as we collectively face the challenges of this global pandemic."

Filipino American singer makes American Idol's top 20

SCREEN CAPTURE / ABC

Francisco Martin sang his way to the Top 20 in this season's American Idol.

Season 18 of American Idol is underway and once again, a Filipino American is in the running for the reality talent competition.

Francisco Martin of San Francisco, a 19-year old college student, on Sunday (March 29) made his way through the auditions and the Hollywood phase that included a duet and solo, all the way to the Top 20.

For the first time this season, the competitors in the Top 40 performed before a live audience and Martin showed that he is a fan favorite. Young screamed through Martin's cover of Harry Styles’ “Falling” at the Disney resort in Aulani, Hawaii.

The young singer seemed more comfortable performing in front of a live audience in Hawaii than playing in front of only the judges. The nervousness that he showed in his audition and in Hollywood was nowhere to be seen.

When it was over, judge Luke Bryan was -- literally -- jumping up and down on his seat. Judge Katy Perry, perhaps influenced by the Hawaii setting asked, "Is that Bruno Mars? I like it." Pop sensation Mars, a Filipino American, was raised in nearby Honolulu.

The third judge, Lionel Richie, added: “When the girls screamed, did you see what he turned into? I don’t even think he sang for a moment. He just kinda sat there and took it all in.”

Martin is no stranger to performing. In the San Francisco Bay Area he belongs to a Filipino American band All for Patricia with which he plays drums and guitar and occasionally he sings songs in Tagalog.

Last season's winner, Laine Hardy, was the first time an Asian American won the contest. Before Hardy's win, Filipina American R&B singer Jessica Sanchez, was first runner-up.

American Idol could make history if later in the competition, if Martin survives the coming weeks, by pairing Sanchez and Martin to become the first Asian American duet on the show. Wouldn't that be something?

CORRECTION March 30: Earlier versions of this post had the wrong performance day.

RIP Maria Mercader: Coronavirus claims Asian American journalist

MARIA CARLA MERCADER

ASAM NEWS

CBS News journalist Maria Carla Mercader , 54, has died from COVID-19 in a New York hospital. Mercader has been with CBS News for over 30 years and has been at the forefront on reporting breaking news as well as being part of growing CBS News network.

Mercader was strong willed and for 20 of the 30 years she worked at CBS News, battled cancer and related illnesses. 

Not only did the Filipina American journalist report on breaking news, but she also was a producer at CBS foreign news desk, and in 2004 won an Emmy Award for a piece she worked on for CBS Sunday Morning.

CBS News mourned the loss of Mercader with the network’s news president, Susan Zirinsky, expressing that she may be gone but always remembered:

“Even more than her talents as a journalist, we will miss her indomitable spirit, Maria was part of all of our lives. Even when she was hospitalized — and she knew something was going on at CBS, she would call with counsel, encouragement, and would say ‘you can do this.’ I called Maria a ‘warrior,’ she was. Maria was a gift we cherished.”

AAJA (Asian American Journalists Association) in their statement remembered Mercader as a mentor and a dear friend to many AAJA members:

“The Asian American Journalists Association sends our sympathies and condolences to the family of Maria Mercader, a longtime and beloved member of our community. Maria, 54, a cancer survivor, died Sunday of complications from COVID-19.”

“Maria was a dear mentor and friend to many AAJA members. She was a proud 2004 graduate of AAJA’s Executive Leadership Program in Chicago. She will be greatly missed.”

Throughout her career she helped many young journalists in their career development.

Maria Mercader was born on Nov. 28, 1965, in New York City. She attended the all-girls Dominican Academy in Manhattan and went on to graduate from the College of New Rochelle in 1987.

She is survived by her father and brother, both name Manuel.

Mercader loved both ballet and music which is a testament to her mother who was the pianist for the American Ballet Theatre. 

AAJA has asked people to donate to the American Ballet Theatre and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as a way of remembering Mercader and honoring her legacy.

CBS News aired a touching tribute to Mercader on the CBS Weekend News.

Coronavirus claims mother and father within 2 days of each other

A Seattle-area family is devastated after losing their mother and father -- both victims of the coronavirus -- two days apart.

Elizabeth Mar, 72, the beloved matriarch of the local Hawaiian restaurant, Kona Kitchen, passed away on Wednesday, March 27. Two days later, on Friday, Robert Mar, 78, succumbed to the disease.

“It’s a huge devastation for our family,” daughter Angie Okumoto told the Seattle Times.

“It’s a nightmare I can’t seem to wake up from,” Angie Okumoto said. “I’m just stunned. When she went into the hospital I thought 'I’m sure she’ll make it.' It’s all the more stunning and heartbreaking."

The couple died at the same hospital two days apart, at the exact same time of day: 1:35 a.m. They would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this August. 

Liz and Robert have three children and seven grandchildren. 

Since 2002, the family operated the Kona Kitchen, a Seattle-area institution., serving up Hawaiian favorites including loco moco and Kahlua pork. Many of the restaurant's loyal customers addressed Elizabeth Mar as "Auntie" or "Grandma."

Later they opened a second restaurant in Lynwood.

Like most restaurants in Seattle, Kona Kitchen has been struggling with thte shutdown caused by the coranavirus. The Lynwood location has been temporarily closed by the Seattle restaurant is still offering take-out orders.

“We’re just trying to stay afloat,” Okumoto says, “and keep as many employees afloat as much as we can.”

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For takeout from Kona Kitchen, call or stop in to the Seattle location at 8501 Fifth Ave. N.E., Seattle; 206-517-5662; konakitchen.com

Sunday Read: AAPI celebrities decry rise of anti-Asian hysteria, blame Trump

From top left, clockwise" Henry Golding, Lana Condor, Daneil Dae Kim, Eugene Lee Yang, Celia Au and Tzi Ma.

The rising number of attacks against Asians and Asian Americans has pushed Hollywood's creative community to speak out against the senseless violence and the racialization of the coronavirus.

“Please, please stop the prejudice and senseless violence against Asian people,” Lost and Hawaii Five-0 actor Daniel Dae Kim pleaded in an a tweet announcing that he had coronavirus. “Randomly beating elderly, sometimes homeless Asian Americans is cowardly, heartbreaking and it’s inexcusable.”

Awkwafina, who had just returned to the US, has voluntary placed herself in self-isolation, even though she has not shown any symptoms of the virus. She tweeted:“Have been away working for the past few months in all of this devastation, and wanted to make double sure I was OK to travel before coming back home to the U.S.,” she shared on Instagram. 

“Haven’t said much about this whole thing because mostly I am just saddened by it. I worry for those who are most at risk for serious illness, the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions.”

“I am saddened by the rhetoric that has come out of this, and the cruelty that came as a result,” Awkwafina continued. “I hope that while we self isolate and socially distance to stay safe, we also stay sane and calm. Wishing everyone a sense of peace during this batshit crazy time – I will be locking myself up for the next 2 weeks rewatching the Tiger King. Love you all ❤️❤️❤️.”

Recording artist H.E.R. is joining headliners Elton John and Mariah Carey in a virtual concert Sunday (March 29) evening that will air on the Fox stations, 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT

What makes it unique is all the artists will be performing from their living rooms, maintaining the stay-at-home recommendations by the CDC, thus avoiding the chance of spreading the virus in large gatherings. Proceeds will benefit coronavirus charities, including Feeding America, and honoring the first responders who represent the “strength and compassion” of America.

"We are chilled by the constant use by the president and his administration of that term," Takei said. "We have a long history of anti-Asian hatred in this country" Star Trek star George Takei, told USA Today.

"His doing that sends a cold chill throughout the Asian American community, because he's sending a signal to the haters and his constituencies, and there are plenty of them there," he said.

Takei has not been hesitant to pointedly criticized Trump. In a tweet, he posted: "We may not have a president, but we still have great leaders. Listen to them when they say #StayHome," he wrote.

In a Hollywood Reporter interview, Wu Assassins star Celia Au pointed out the irony that the people being attacked are also the people most active in fighting the virus. "Many Asian Americans work in the medical field," Au said. "They're already risking their lives going to work every day trying to save your life. By attacking them, they are afraid to go to work. They're afraid that on their way to work, they're going to get attacked by people. … If these people don't go to work, you're not going to get care."

Shannon Lee, daughter of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, recently wrote a not-so-subtle dig of Donald Trump who have pushed the term. "Chinese virus" when referring to the novel coronavirus — which has caused a global pandemic comprising overt a half-million confirmed cases of the disease COVID-19 and over 20,000 deaths. 

"I want us all to understand there is no 'Chinese Virus.' A virus knows no nationality, and wherever and however it started, it does us no good to point fingers, ostracize, attack or demonize Asian people," she posted on her Facebook page.

Even though, Trump later cautioned against attacks against Asian Americans, the phrase is now partially blamed for the uptick of racist attacks against Asians and Asian Americans, from hate-filled messages on social media platforms to physical assaults in public.

Lana Condor, 22, star of To All the Boys I Ever Loved and its sequel To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, was even more blunt in her social media post to Trump:

“You have no idea the ramifications your racist words & actions have on the Asian American community. You simply cannot even fathom the danger you are putting our community in. How dare you.”

“You should be ashamed of yourself. You call yourself a leader?” Condor continued. “You know what leaders do? They LEAD by setting good examples and ACTION. Something we’ve yet to see you do. You need to take notes on Chinese billionaire Jack Ma who is ACTUALLY leading – by donating tests and millions of masks to AMERICA, bc you haven’t.”

Golding's Crazy Rich Asians costar Gemma Chan used her voice to help the caregivers in the United Kingdom, which has universal healthcare.

“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: star Chloe Bennet, sharing Condor's anger and frustration, said on Instagram, “I can’t tell you how many calls/texts I’ve received from family members, all of Asian descent, speaking to me about their extreme levels of anxiety, shame and fear,” ... “People are being verbally and physically attacked and Asian owned businesses boycotted. And this xenophobic rhetoric is the direct cause.”

On March 17, former Knicks player Jeremy Lin ripped into Trump's handling of the medical crisis and Trump's use of "Chinese virus,"

JEREMY LIN

“And I dont wanna hear about no German measles/Spanish flu [because] everyday Asian-Americans [including people] I know are threatened and physically attacked. I dont give a crap about the history of names [right now]. What I do know is this subtle anti-Chinese message only empowers more hate towards Asians.”

He added: “Can you honestly tell me there is ZERO anti-Chinese sentiment in all his characterizations of the virus? Can you honestly tell me Asians aren't being unfairly physically attacked today in the US? Is it that hard to use coronavirus or COVID-19? We playin the blame game in a crisis.”

From his home in the San Francisco Bay Area, Lin, who was preparing to return to China to finish off the season playing for the Beijing Ducks, tweeted:

“Excited to hoop again, but leaving the bay worried and with a heavy heart for the sick, the jobless and all those fighting fear, anxiety and stress over the unknown future. Shoutout to our medical staff in the 50 states for working tirelessly and everyone keep doing your part in slowing the virus!

He also added a message for his fans and why he's returning to China  to play ball in trying times such as these.

“The world needs basketball now more than ever. I still remember when I went through my toughest moments and worst injuries. You guys were there for me. I hope to return the favor. As all you beloved fans told me the day after my knee injury, keep fighting bc we’re #NeverDone.”

The Try Guys' Eugene Lee Yang shared a tweet posted March 13 that while at a local coffee shop, "an older woman in front of me demanded her drink get remade because her barista was Asian."

Yang tells The Hollywood Reporter that because he's a comedian, his response was rather abrasive (telling the woman while he was not Chinese, her "ugly-ass knockoff purse" was), but he understands not everyone can give that type of a response and get away with it.

"My job is literally clapping back every day online as a comedian. It wasn't hard for me," Yang tells THR. "That's not the truth or the situation for almost every other Asian American, particularly those who are elderly, those who might have a language barrier, those who are young, those who are female. They don't have that option." His biggest advice to those who experience hate amid the coronavirus outbreak is to "remember you're not bad inherently, you're not wrong."

The rising incidents of racism against Asians gave other celebrities the incentive to launch the "Wash The Hate" campaign, which encourages people to wash their hands, to stem the growth of the coronavirus.

Sparked by an incident that occurred to actor Tzi Ma while visiting a store when a man drove his car past him while saying, "You should be quarantined." The incident shocked the actor, who plays the father in the new incarnation of Mulan, 

Mulan's Tzi Ma spoke with THR about a recent visit of his to Whole Foods in Pasadena. The actor said a man drove a car past him while saying, "You should be quarantined."

"This is in Pasadena, a really diverse community. I was really caught off-guard, and that taught me a lesson," Ma tells The Hollywood Reporter. "I should always be on guard in these troubled times."

The Asian American communications agency IW Group teamed up with Ma to create the social media campaign -- #WashTheHate.

The campaign hopes it will encourage people to practice the CDC recommendation of washing one's hands frequently. But there's another message in the movement.

"We’re hoping this campaign sends a message of solidarity and compassion to the world," Ma shared in a statement. "Hatred and division aren’t going to prevent this virus from spreading and will only make an already difficult situation even worse. We’re calling for everyone — regardless of their race or country of origin — to recognize that we’re all in this fight together."

Women's History Month: Georgia woman is the Southeast's first Asian American on a state Supreme Court

CARLA WONG McMILLIAN

ASAM NEWS

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has named Carla Wong McMillian to the State Supreme Court.

The state court of appeals justice is the first Asian American woman ever appointed to the Georgia Supreme Court.

“Obviously, there are more important things happening in the world right now, but this appointment is an honor and a proud moment for me and my family,” the judge said Friday to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “I am humbled by Governor Kemp’s confidence in me.”

According to the Citizen, Wong McMillian, 42, previously served in the state court of Fayette County and earlier had been a partner at Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP. She graduated from Duke University and earned her law degree at the University of Georgia School of Law.

Former Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed McMillIan to the Fayette County State Court bench in 2010. The next year when she retained her seat, McMillian became the first Asian American woman judge to win a Georgia election. 

McMillian, 42, was appointed to the Court of Appeals by then-Gov. Nathan Deal and took that office on Jan. 24, 2013. She was the first Asian American state appellate judge in the Southeast, and upon her election in May 2014, she became the first Asian American to be elected to a statewide office in Georgia.

Her grandparents immigrated from China in the 1920s and her mother is from Hong Kong. McMillian was born and raised in Augusta, GA, where her grandparents settled.

“I don’t think my parents or my grandparents when they immigrated here had any idea they would have a granddaughter who would be a lawyer, much less a judge,” McMillian told the Florida Times-Union.

Views From the Edge contributed to this report.

 

Indian American hoteliers provide free accommodation to stranded Indian students in US

International students are caught in a bind as college campuses close down.

ASAM NEWS

Indian American hoteliers came to the rescue for stranded Indian students in the US with no place to stay, after the implementation of lockdown measures because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Ever since the coronavirus pandemic, Indian students have been ordered to vacate their hostels and dormitories. As India banned international flights for a week from March 22nd, approximately 250,000 Indian students had no where to go.

“You spend four years at a university, and you work incredibly hard and expect that at the end you can tie a bow on it and wrap it up,” Isabella Kwasnik, a senior at Harvard told The New York Times. 

“But there’s this unexpected outcome,” she said. “It’s just a logistical and emotional nightmare.”To ensure safe security for these students, the Indian Embassy pledged to take appropriate measures last week. According to AP Herald, the Indian Embassy has been running a round-the-clock helpline for students in the U.S. and calling hotels nation-wide for help.

Soon after, Indian American hoteliers offered more than 6,000 rooms in nearly 700 hotels for free. In some cases, hoteliers even provided free food.

The Indian Consulate in New York was one of the first to participate.

Working side by side with Hammock Worldwide Hotels and Resorts, the Indian Consulate in New York provided temporary accommodation for students at a flat rate of $50 per night. But according to Live Mint, once hotels started to offer free rooms and free meals, everyone agreed to join in.

Kalpesh Joshi, a regional director of Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), upper Midwest region was one of them. In an interview with Economic Times, Joshi explained how he and other Indian American hoteliers decided to help because “the students were in trouble and had no place to go.” Joshi continued by saying, “as members of the Indian community we all feel it’s our responsibility to help.”

Florida based Vipul Patel, the national president of Asian American Store Owners Association also said the Indian American community truly united together. Patel told Times Now News that he never came across any hotel owner who said “no” to helping these Indian students.


Rooms would be allocated to students on the recommendation of the Indian Embassy and its consulates in Houston, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco and New York.

In the time of coronavirus, AAPI voices fill the internet with irony, sadness, reflection and anger

SCREEN CAPTURE / YOUTUBE

The Berklee College School of Music students give a performance of hope.

One of the benefits (or, curses) of staying-in because of the coronavirus is that I spend a lot more time on the Internet than I usually do. 

What was driven home to me is the reinforcement that the AAPI community is so wide and so diverse, our experiences are so fastly different from each other and the only thing that might connect us is that somewhere in our background, is that our origins eventually lead us to Asia, which in itself is is widely diverse it is hard to magine combining us into one amorphous block. 

But non-Asians tend to do that.

There are 23 million Asian Americans in the US and it seems most of them are online in some shape or form. Out of that multitude voices cry out telling their stories of what it is like being AAPI during this particular time in our history. Some stories are moving and bittersweet, others that are limited by 120 key strokes are just pithy, playful and witty. 

All together, they paint a picture of this point of time. Someone should collect them together for future historians for this is a moment in history we'll all be telling our grandchildren, "I remember the time of the virus. The world changed ..."

I thought I'd share a few with you.

Actor Daniel Dae Kim contracted the coronavirus  and on his social media account made the announcement from his home home in Hawaii . It was eloquent in its simplicity and honesty. There's really no much to add, except to say that since he posted it online, his condition has improved. We wish him well:

From Huffpost, an article by Brittany Wong, starts out:

In early March, just before California put out a stay-at-home order, writer and educator Rachelle Cruz’s parents were taking the BART train back to their home in Hayward in the San Francisco Bay area after a long day at work in the city.

The couple owns a small remittance business with a largely Filipino and migrant clientele who send a portion of their wages back to their home countries. To protect themselves from the growing threat of COVID-19, the couple were wearing masks. It drew attention.

“All of a sudden another passenger yelled at them, telling them to go back to their country,” Cruz told HuffPost. “The person called my Filipino mother a ‘Chinese Coronavirus bitch’ and said that both of my parents are ‘bearers of the virus.’”

They stopped taking the BART train last week, a day shy of the lockdown in San Francisco. When Cruz asked her mother if it was OK that she shared the story with HuffPost, she agreed with one request.

“My mother wanted to clarify that this was the third racist incident she’s personally experienced or witnessed on the train in the last few weeks,” Cruz said. “My parents are now working from home, where my mother misses her clients, but not the racists on the train.”

READ the entire article.

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Also from Huffpost, here's an account by Louise Gleeson:

Just before I climbed back into the car, after dropping bags of groceries at my parents’ door and firmly declining an offer to come inside for a cup of tea, my mom stepped outside to wave goodbye to me. My dad stayed behind the door watching us through its window. I grabbed my phone and asked her to pose for a snapshot to send my sister an update about our successful social distancing in the face of COVID-19.

Never one to shy away from a camera, my mom threw her head back and gave me a dazzling smile. It’s always a surprise when people learn she’s almost 70 — she’s playful and vibrant, with the high cheekbones and beautiful skin often seen in Chinese women. I always say I hope to inherit her agelessness to join the dark eyes and olive skin she gave me. I drove away with tears in my eyes; my desire to keep my parents safe overwhelming me. I’m grateful they moved close to us years earlier, so I can take care of them now.

“This is who I am protecting. I need you to protect her, too,” I wrote when I shared the photo on my social media once I got home.

Hours later, I read a tweet from Donald Trump in which he called COVID-19 “the Chinese Virus”

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Thuc Nguyen in :betr writes about how a new generation of Vietnamese Americans view the diaspora of their people:

Natalie and I are a year apart in age. She and her father were sponsored to America by a church in San Bernardino, California. My parents and uncle and I were sponsored by a church in Kinston, North Carolina. It turns out my family was also at Galang. It turns out my parents had been searching for a man with her dad’s name for a long while and hadn’t yet found him. My parents told me the man had given me a pair of shoes at the refugee camp. As Natalie puts it, “these little acts of kindness are so impactful for many refugees and the fact that two little refugee girls can meet at a restaurant in Beverly Hills and have these amazing lives in America is short of a small miracle”.

READ the entire article.

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And from Kyle Navarro, a California RN, an encounter sparks a wider discussion that AAPI should take a step back and realize they are not alone in this struggle. Its a time to recognize and respect allies.

As a followup, Kyle's tweets went viral so he added these:

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Some like Kalaya'an Mendoza took a step back to acknowledge this moment in history's timeline.

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The District Pinoy was even more succinct in his tweet from the nation's capitol.

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Pearl Low wrote about her bicultural, biracial experience with illustrations. Low is the woman behind “Hair Love,” the animated short film that won an Oscar this year.

Low literally drew on her own experience as a Chinese-Jamaican Canadian kid growing up with a Chinese single mom who didn’t know how to handle curly hair, just like the father in her film.

“There are a lot of parallels in the story and in my life,” Low told HuffPost Canada. “While watching the [finished] film I was like, ‘Aww that’s me!’”

Our apologies for not writing about her during the Academy Awards. While there were lots of coverage from the African American media, there was scarcely a mention in the AAPI media. We should have looked deeper into her racial heritage at the time.

Link to Low's entire illustrated 8-panel article here.

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We'll end on this note (pun, intended): Asian American musicians and singers joined in

for the Berklee College School of Music in Boston doing a virtual performance of What the World Needs Now." It was sappy, but effective. It had me sniffling. The video's message is something we need to hear and to show, ehough we are isolated in our residences, whether it be a mansion or a dorm room, we are all connected to each other.

My apologies to my readers: After finishing this post, I realized that there's a lot of good stuff on this post that probably deserved a story of its own. I hope the length and the seemingly chaotic organization  doesn't scare anybody away. I added links if anybody wants to find out more information.