Pew Report: Discrimination experiences shape most Asian Americans’ lives

Most people of color have experienced discrimination in the United States. Sad, but it's a hard fact of life for Asian Americans and other POC.

And no matter how forgiving one is, experiencing bias is bound toshape a person's outlook and how one lives life day-to-day. 

Today, 57% of Asian adults living in the US see discrimination against  Asian Amricans as a major problem, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis.  A majority of those surveyed (63%) report that too little attention is paid to the racial issues concerning Asian Americans.

“I feel like Asians are kind of known as the model minority," said a Chinese American who took part in the study. "That kind of puts us in an interesting position where I feel like we’re supposed to excel and succeed in the media, or we’re seen in the media as exceeding in all these things as smart. All of us are not by any means. Yeah, I feel like we’re in this weird middle ground.”

Overall, 58% of Asian adults say they have ever experienced racial discrimination or been treated unfairly because of their race or ethnicity. This includes 53% who say they experience racial discrimination from time to time and 5% who say they experience it regularly.

        FYI: Read the entire report here.

In addition to this general question, the survey also asked about specific discrimination incidents:

• 78% of Asians living in the US have been treated as a foreigner in some way, even if they were born in the United States. This includes Asian adults who say that in day-to- day encounters, strangers in the US have told them to go back to their “home country”; assumed they can’t speak English; criticized them for speaking a language other than English; or mispronounced their name.

• 63% of Asian Americans have experienced incidents where people assume they are a “model minority,” which includes those who say strangers have assumed that they are good at math and science or not a creative thinker. The model minority stereotype generalizes Asians in the US as intelligent, well-off and only able to excel in technical fields. At the same time, more than half of Asian adults (55%) say they have not heard of the term “model minority.”

• 37% of Asian adults say strangers have called them offensive names in day-to-day encounters. US born-Asian adults are nearly twice as likely as Asian immigrants to say this has happened to them (57% vs. 30%).

• 20% of Asian adults say they have been held back at a security checkpoint for a secondary screening because of their race or ethnicity. Across regional origin groups. One respondent said: 

"After 9/11, things changed a lot. I feel like things changed for a lot of us and I remember my parents putting out American flags everywhere – outside the house, on the mailbox, like wherever they could stick them. And even now, I do get … constantly pulled over when you’re in line at the airport, by TSA and at this point I just know I’m going to get pulled over. … I make my way leisurely to that section because I know that they’re going to profile me.”

South Asian adults are the most likely to have this experience, with 35% saying so. This is about twice the share reported by Southeast (15%) and East (14%) Asian adults.

Notably, the survey found that 38% of Asian adults who were born in the U.S. or immigrate here before they were 18 years old say that when they were growing up, their family never talked about the challenges they might face because of their race or ethnicity.

The multilingual, nationally representative survey conducted from July 5, 2022, to Jan. 27, 2023, among 7,006 Asian adults, asked about personal experiences with 17 different discrimination incidents. Asian Americans’ day-to-day encounters with discrimination were not just single events, but often came in several overlapping forms.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.

Man sentenced to four years behind bars for burglarizing Asian homeowners in New Jersey

ILLUSTRATION

A New Jersey, man was sentenced Aug. 15 to 50 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy that targeted local Asian and Asian American residents burglarizing them at their homes, said US Attorney Philip R. Sellinger at a media conference.

Randi Barr, 42, of Vauxhall, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before US District Judge Evelyn Padin to charges against him with one count of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property. Judge Padin imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From Dec. 2, 2016, to March 20, 2019, Barr and others participated in a conspiracy to burglarize the residences of certain Asian small business owners living in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware of large sums of money, valuable jewelry, and other items, and then transport the stolen goods in interstate commerce, including to Barr’s residences in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

In one instance in 2019, $500,000 in cash was taken from a single home in Eatontown, N.J., officials said.

Seven others were charged in the case along with Barr in 2021 — Rabine Armour, of Easton, Pennsylvania, Kevin Burton, of Newark, Kevin Jackson, of Rahway, Thomas Rodgers, of Newark, James Hurt, of Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, Sherman Glasco of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and Terrance Black, of Irvington. All of the defendants were charged with a single count of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Padin ordered restitution and forfeiture of $127,661.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the blog Views From the Edge.

'The State of Chinese Americans:' politically involved, they still must contend with hate

Some states are looking at legislation banning the sale of property to some Chinese Americans.

A new survey found that three out of four Chinese Americans have experienced racial discrimination in the past year.

Even with a long history in the US, and even as the hysteria surrounding the pandemic eases, Asian Americans, especially Chinese Americans, continue to be targets of acts of hate, according to a report by the Columbia University’s School of Social Work, one of the world’s leading research universities, and Committee of 100, a nonprofit membership organization of prominent Chinese Americans.

The results from a year-long research project and survey, "The State of Chinese Americans," that looked at the health, economic, and sociopolitical conditions of today’s Chinese American population were released Monday, April 27.

“The Chinese American population is one of the fastest-growing ethnic groups in the United States, yet it remains underrepresented in politics and policy, and underserved in healthcare, education, and social services,” noted Gary Locke, Committee of 100 Chair, former U.S. Ambassador to China, and current President of Bellevue College in Washington. 

“This important collaboration between Committee of 100 and Columbia University brings a critical and deeper understanding of the real experiences of Chinese Americans, not the stereotypical assumptions assigned to a ‘model minority’ group. Moreover, it highlights that this is a group that is both politically active and engaged. These findings are certain to influence economic, social, and political policies to help improve the well-being of the entire Chinese American community.”

FYI: To read the executive summary and view the data slides, click here.

The first and largest project of its kind, the “State of Chinese Americans” survey gathered information from nearly 6,500 participants from across the U.S., compiling data related to demographics, politics, cultural identity, health, economic security, and social engagement. The research effort was supported by over 100 Chinese American and allied organizations nationwide, who shared the survey with community members in English, traditional Chinese, and simplified Chinese.

Collecting disaggregated, accurate and comprehensive data on Chinese Americans will help inform policymakers and the public on the diverse set of opinions, perceptions, and needs of Chinese Americans across the country. This will enable key decision-makers to develop timely and responsive policies, programs, and services to address those needs.

Key findings

Racism against Chinese Americans continues. While the overwhelming majority of Chinese Americans see themselves as an accepted part of American society, culturally blended between American and Chinese traditions, they are also marginalized. 

The Chinese American respondents have experienced discrimination in their daily lives with:

• Nearly 3 out of 4 (74%) Chinese Americans having experienced racial discrimination in the past 12 months;
• 55% worrying about their safety relating to hate crimes or harassment;
• 9% having been physically intimidated/assaulted and 7% having had property vandalized/damaged;
• Nearly half of the survey respondents (46%) reported being treated with less respect than other people at least a few times in the past 12 months;
• 1 in 5 reported that people made a racial slur, called them a name, or harassed them in person or online at least a few times in the past 12 months.

Political involvement

The overwhelming majority of Chinese American citizens vote. They care deeply about issues facing US society, and they want better relations and more collaboration between the U.S and China, including:

• The overwhelming majority (83%) of Chinese American citizens are registered voters, and 91% of registered voters voted in the 2020 presidential election;
• Racism, crime, gun control, and the economy were identified as the top four most important issues facing the U.S. according to respondents;
• Most respondents (82%) agreed that the U.S. should build a collaborative economic relationship with China;
• The economy and trade were identified as the two top areas for mutual benefit from U.S.-China collaboration efforts.

Chinese American diversity

Even as non-Asians fail to recognition of all the ehthnicities and nationalities that make up the AANHPI communities, even within the Chinese American community there is great diversity. 

While often stereotyped as a “model minority”, many face disadvantages or hardships in health and economics and need better support from policies and services, including:

• Nearly one in four (24%) Chinese Americans are at moderate or severe risk of mental illness when asked about their psychological distress, including feeling worthless, depressed, hopeless, restless, nervous, or that everything was an effort;
• Nearly a quarter (24%) reported either fair or poor physical or mental health, or having one or more types of disability;
• 10% reported a household income below $15k and 9% reported experiencing food or bills hardship in the past 12 months.

"This initiative has deepened our understanding of the many challenges faced by Chinese Americans today – including experiences of discrimination and risk of mental illness. These critically important findings now make it possible for us to create clear and informed policy – policy that leads to equity,” says Dr. Melissa Begg, Dean of the Columbia School of Social Work.

Zhengyu Huang, President of Committee of 100 noted, “This collaboration with Columbia University marks the first in what I hope will be a long partnership in gathering and analyzing quality data related to the Chinese American community. The findings from this survey are certain to influence many conversations around the power of disaggregated data. 

"For example, the vast majority of Chinese Americans believe that the US should work to find ways to collaborate with China on economic issues. The majority of them see the current US-China relationship as negative and needing improvement. As we delve more deeply into the data in the coming weeks and months, I am confident that the findings will have real impact in our efforts to work towards a more inclusive and equitable society for all.”

Additional Survey Findings 

• Nearly 40% reported speaking two or more languages at home, with 80% being English proficient;
• Over half of the sample were born in Mainland China and over a quarter (27%) were born in the U.S., but the percentages of those who specified Mainland China and the United States as a place of upbringing were similar (44% and 41%);
• 79% viewed current U.S.-China relations as negative, and negativity grew with increasing educational attainment.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Asian American journalist attacked outside her home

New Yorker staff writer Jiayang Fan.

The everyday task of taking out the trash shouldn't be such a big deal, but for journalist Jiayang Fan, it became a frightful and sobering incident.

Jiayang Fan, 38, lives in New York City and is a staff writer for The New Yorker. Writing about anti-Asian hate is one thing; experiencing it something altogether different. The abstract immediately become reality; intellectualism becomes emotional.

In a Twitter thread last week, Fan describes the experience that has become all too familiar for AANHPI.

Although the verbal attack didn't become physical, it unnerved Fan, a seasoned journalist.

Unfortunately, the anti-Asian hate incidents and crimes that began to surge with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic three years ago appears to be continuing making many AANHPI anxious and fearful of going out in public, taking public transit or going to the grocery store.

According to the FBI Hate Crimes Report, crimes of hate against Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders rose  in 2021 by a whopping 167%, the biggest increase among ethnic groups.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

PBS special on the Atlanta spa shootings and the rise in anti-Asian hate linked to AANHPI political activism

RISING AGAINST ASIAN HATE

Robert Peterson, son of Atlanta shooting victim Yong Ae Yue, is featured in the documentary.

In March 2021, a man murdered eight people, including six women of Asian descent, at three spas in Atlanta, Georgia. In a year of increasing violence against Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, the shooting was a watershed event.

For many, the tragic events became a galvanizing moment, reigniting a sense of collective identity and political engagement within AAPI communities. Now, as violence against AAPI people continues to surge nationwide, Rising Against Asian Hate: One Day in March, a documentary chronicles the troubling escalation of hate and spotlights the movement to turn grief and anger into action. 

"The Asian American community are not victims in this story. I didn't want to show a community that's victimized, even though what's been happening is horrific. But the Asian American community [has] been here fighting for their civil rights for a very, very long time,” said Titi Yu, director of the hour-long documentary. 

WATCH: Rising Against Asian Hate: One Day in March premieres on Monday, October 17 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/RisingAgainstAsianHate, the PBS Video App and on the PBS

 Narrated by Emmy nominated actress Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy, Killing Eve) with music by Academy and Grammy Award-winning musician Jon Batiste and Grammy nominated musician Cory Wong, Rising Against Asian Hate pays tribute to the lives lost, examines the rise of anti-Asian racism and documents a growing movement to fight back and stop the hate.

Rising Against Asian Hate features interviews with Robert Peterson, son of the late Yong Ae Yue, who was killed in the Atlanta spa shootings; community leaders and organizers and politicians including Stacey Abrams (former Georgia State Representative, founder of Fair Fight and Democratic gubernatorial candidate), Rep. Grace Meng, D-NY, Georgia State Sen. Michelle Au, Georgia State Rep. Bee Nguyen, Georgia State Rep. Samuel Park and Byung J. "BJay" Pak (former Senate-confirmed U.S. Attorney and legislator); among others.

"The tragedy of the Atlanta shootings and the events of the past two years have compelled a deep reflection within the community about our place in the American polity. It has galvanized the Asian American community to speak up and speak out," said Yu.

"We watched in horror and shock as vicious attacks on Asian Americans were caught on camera, and we saw how this violence escalated to the killing of six women of Asian descent in the Atlanta shooting," said Gina Kim, executive producer of Rising Against Asian Hate. "With this documentary we hope to examine this troubling escalation of racism against the AAPI community, pay respect to the lives lost and impacted by the violence, and champion those coming together to fight against the hate."

"The rise in anti-Asian hate incidents over the past few years has been unlike anything we've seen in the 42 years that CAAM has been supporting Asian American stories," says Center for Asian American Media Director of Programs Donald Young. "With so much attention focused on the accused shooter in Atlanta, this film is a necessary, in-depth look at the stories behind the victims and the effects on the community."

"The shocking events that took place in Atlanta, and the acts of violence that continue to take place in communities across the country, are tragic and unthinkable," said Margaret Ebrahim, senior director, General Audience Programming at PBS. "Rising Against Asian Hate epitomizes PBS's mission to produce trusted, thought-provoking content that goes beyond the surface level; to provide a platform for discussion, and to foster a culture of understanding about issues that ultimately impact us all."

The film is part of The WNET Group's Exploring Hate: Antisemitism, Racism and Extremism, a public media reporting initiative examining the roots and rise of hate in America and across the globe. 

To complement Rising Against Asian Hate, the Exploring Hate digital series be/longing: Asian Americans Now profiles Asian American trailblazers from across the country in five stories of belonging and exclusion; resilience and hope; and solidarity in the face of hate. Rising Against Asian Hate filmmakers Gina Kim and Titi Yu are the subjects of episode five of be/longing and shed light on what they discovered about the AAPI community in the face of anti-Asian violence.

Rising Against Asian Hate: One Day in March is produced by Repartee Films, LLC in association with the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and The WNET Group for PBS.

With director Yu is Gina Kim as executive producer. For CAAM, Stephen Gong and Donald Young are executive producers and James Ott is executive-in-charge. For Exploring Hate, Eugenia Harvey is executive producer and Judy Greenspan is series producer. For The WNET Group, Lesley Norman is executive producer and Stephen Segaller is executive-in-charge. Margaret Ebrahim is the Executive in Charge for PBS.

Yu believes that the 2022 Midterm election is a critical moment for Asian Americans' growing political influence. She explains how by drawing a line between the hate crime legislation and political participation further emphasizes the kind of work that the Asian American community has been doing throughout history.

“Whenever this kind of violence happens, we hear about the families and the victims,” Yu continues, “but we don’t really know that behind the story of how the community can actually come together to really help the victims and the families, and particularly with immigrant communities that’s also close knit. I just got a sense that a tragedy like this can really hit at the heart of the community members. So that’s why we wanted to reach out to those people.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Survey: Racism touches 1 out of 3 Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander immigrant

A recent survey found that 1 in 3 Asian immigrants experienced more discrimination in 2021 than when the COVID-19 pandemic began and that many reported negative experiences due to their race or ethnicity, ranging from receiving poor service to being verbally or physically attacked.

The Kaiser Family Foundation survey of Asian American community health center patients found echoed similar findings by other reports on the surge of anti-Asian incidents since the beginning of the pandemic two years ago.

Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Other Pacific Islander (NHOPI) people are a diverse and growing population in the United States. Asian people are the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group in the United States, with their population increasing 81% from 10.5 million to 18.9 million between 2000 and 2019.

Given the diversity of the population, broad data on Asian and NHOPI people often mask underlying disparities among subgroups of the population. For example, there is a nearly 8-fold difference in uninsured rates among Asian and NHOPI subgroups, ranging from 4% for Japanese people to 32% for Mongolian people. Uninsured rates also vary by citizenship status among Asian and NHOPI people, with noncitizens more likely to lack coverage across groups.

RELATED: AANHPI elderly impacted by rise in hate

Data are also often missing to identify and address disparities. Enhancing data to better understand the experiences of Asian and NHOPI people is of particular importance at this time, given growing levels of racism and discrimination amid the COVID-19 pandemic, including a significant uptick in hate incidents against Asian and NHOPI people.

Other highlights of the report:

• Nearly half (48%) say that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected their ability to pay for basic needs like housing, utilities, and food, four in ten (40%) report that it negatively affected their ability to do their job, and 43% say it has negatively impacted their mental health.

• Nearly half (48%) say it has affected their sleep and 39% report changes in their appetite and eating (Figure 9). Others say it has led to frequent headaches or stomachaches (24%), increased difficulty controlling temper (15%), increased alcohol or drug use (10%), and worsened chronic conditions, like diabetes or high blood pressure (9%).

• Over half (54%) of Asian health center respondents say they or another adult in their household lost their job or had their income or hours reduced due to the pandemic

• Over half of parents (52%) say the pandemic has negatively affected their children’s education and 41% say it has had negative impacts on their ability to care for their children.

• Three in ten (30%) Asian health center respondents say they put off or went without health care in the past 12 months and 37% of parents report doing so for their children.

• One quarter (25%) of respondents say they or a member of their household decided not to apply for or stopped participating in a government program to help pay for health care, food, or housing in the past year due to immigration-related fears

While these findings are not representative of Asian immigrants or Asian health center patients overall, they provide new insight into and understanding of the experiences of Asian health center patients who are largely immigrants, a group for whom there remain very little data.

The findings illustrate the ways Asian immigrants experience racism and discrimination in their daily lives and indicate that these experiences have increased amid the COVID-19 pandemic. They also suggest that immigration-related fears are ongoing among the community and contributing to reluctance accessing government assistance programs for food, housing, and health care.

The findings further show the that the pandemic has taken a toll on mental health and well-being, finances, and access to health care for Asian immigrant families. This increased understanding can help inform COVID-19 response efforts as well as efforts to address health disparities more broadly.

Going forward, continued efforts to assess and understand the experiences of smaller population groups, including Asian immigrants, remain important as they are often invisible in public data sources.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Olympics 2022: Gold medal winner Eileen Gu is a skilled skiier, smart, articulate and not doing any favors for Asian Americans

Eileen Gu has all the elements of becoming a star for years to come.

OPINION

Eighteen-year old Eileen Gu is smart, attractive, articulate, but her evasiveness over citizenship is not helping Asian Americans in their fight against the current wave of anti-Asian hate.

Chinese fans have dubbed her the "Snow Princess." Gu's story is well known in China and the lead up to the winter games her face can be seen on billboards, bus stop posters and magazine covers.  Gu has become the unofficial face of China's Olympic ambitions while raking a small fortune from a slew of sponsors selling sports equipment and high fashion. 

Born and raised in San Francisco, in her Olympic sport, Gu has chosen to represent the country from which her mother emigrated, China. She is fluent in Mandarin as a result of spending about a quarter of every year in China to hone up her math and study skills.

I want to cheer for her because of her Asian heritage -- one more mark on the positive side of AAPI -- but the "American" in the AAPI designation, cringes at her performance before the media, which is broadcast or streamed to all of the US  networks and  platforms.

When asked about her citizenship status -- Chinese or American -- she also demonstrated the art of not directly answering a simple question, a skill to make any politician -- Chinese or American -- envious.

The daughter of her Chinese mother who raised her and an American father little is known about, Gu won her first Olympic gold medal Monday. 

The US allows for dual citizenship, but China does not. You're either in or you're out. Official Chinese government media said Gu gave up her US citizenship when she was naturalized as a PRC citizen when she was 15. However, her Olympic bio says she has a dual nationality. So naturally, this piqued journalists' curiosity.

Trying to clear up the confusion, a reporter asked her citizenship status after winning her gold medal. 

"I've always been super outspoken in my gratitude to the US and to the US team as well. They have been nothing nut supportive to me, and for that I am forever grateful," Gu responded at a press conference.

"And same to the Chinese team. They have been so, so supportive of me. And so in that sense, I feel like sport is really a way in that we can unite people, it doesn't have to be something that's related to nationality, it's not something that can be used to divide people.

"We are all out here together pushing the human limit."

Nice response but she didn't answer the question. Seeking clarity, another reporter repeated the question again. Again, she hemmed and hawed.

“Yeah, um, first of all, I'm an 18-year old girl. I'm a kid. I haven't even gone to college yet. I'm a pretty normal person . . .”

She ended her non-answer a on a defiant note. “If people don't have a good heart, they won't believe me, because they can't empathize with people who do have a good heart. And so in that sense, I feel as though it's a lot easier to block out the hate now. And also, they're never going to know what it feels like to win an Olympic gold medal.”

Eileen Gu has the right to choose which country she wishes to represent. She is not the first, nor is she the only American on the Olympic team of another country. One of her teammates, figure skater Zhu Yi, from Los Angeles, admitted she  renounced her US citizenship in order to compete for China. She is getting raked over the coals for her poor performance on the ice.

SCREEN CAPTURE

China's Eileen Gu has proven quite adept at answering media questions.

By being so evasive, Gu is unwittingly reinforcing the old trope that all Asian Americans are foreigners giving weight to that familiar insult, "Go back to your country."

Even some of her old teammates on the US Olympics team have made comments that might sound like jealousy for all the attention Gu is attracting, but given the racial climate in the US today, making her look ungrateful for the nation that raised her and trained her, it sounds like a bit of racial animus has creeped into their comments.

My own discomfort about Gu and her citizenship probably says more about me and my state of racial sensitivity than it says about a teenager's difficult decision.

Any Asian American who is visible or has any kind of influence -- whether that person wants to or not, is representing the AAPI community, whether it be online, on the silver screen, on the athletic field or, in the Eileen's case, on the slopes and more importantly, during media events during the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Gu is extremely marketable. Bob Dorfman, a sports-marketing analyst and creative director at Pinnacle Advertising in San Francisco, told Bloomberg that “Eileen’s value is through the roof.” As a model, she has been modeling in Europe, the US and China. Gu has already been featured in campaigns for Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Victoria’s Secret, and Estée Lauder.

RELATED:

US wins silver in figure skating team event

Born and raised in San Francisco, Eileen Gu will represent China

Five AAPI skaters named to USA Figure Skating team.

NBC puts Nathan Chen and Chloe Kim in the spotlight to promote their coverage

Snowboarding star Chloe Kim: "I'm going to go off"

20 Asian Americans and Asian Canadians to watch at the Winter Olympics

Emotions flood over Chinese American athletes in Beiging Games

Many in positions of influence -- such as Daniel Dae Kim, Naomi Osaka, Ken Jeong and Olivia Munn have embraced the responsibility while others have learned, they can't shrug off who they are even as they deny their heritage.

Gu is naive if she thinks the Olympics is nonpolitical and she is simply an athlete trying to do her best. She is a pawn in the ongoing geo-political  propaganda battle between the West and China.

This political side of the Olympics shows up all the time, but this year the economic and military rivalry between China and the US heating up, it has been unavoidable that politics poke a hole in the Olympic dream. China is accused of human rights abuses, especially in its bully-like takeover of Tibet and its treatment of the  Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in the far western province of Uyghur. In protest, the U.S and other Western nations withheld any official attendance of a government delegation.

US government officials have warned American athletes not to make any political statements or acts during the Winter Games out of fear how China might react.

In Gu's third attempt in the freestyle big air ski event, she was in third place. She needed to score big to overcome her rivals. She decided to do a a double cork 1620, a trick she's never done in competition. She aced it, landing backwards and skiiing backwards to the finish line. The gold medal was hers.

Ski experts, analysts and former coaches note what makes Gu athletically unique is an ability to easily spin in four different directions — left or right while skiing forward or backward.

She's won one gold and will likely end up winning two more. Watch her fly, flip, twist, land; fly, flip, twist, land. Skills Gu honed on the ski slope is proving useful in speaking with journalists.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd.

Justice rallies mark anniversary of deadly attack on the Asian elder that pushed the AAPI community into action

 

RATANAPAKDEE FAMILY

Vicha Ratanapakdee, right, and his daughter Monthanus Ratanapakdee

A year ago, a vicious unprovoked attack killed 84-year old Vicha Ratanapakdee and gave birth to a movement.

A security camera showed the Thai immigrant  on a morning walk on Jan. 28, 2021 in his San Francisco neighborhood when a man came out of nowhere and shoved the Thai immigrant to the sidewalk, his head bouncing off the sidewalk, knocking him unconscious. His attacker raised his arms up in victory as if he had just scored a game-winning touchdown.

The grandfather, who had a heart operation nine months earlier, never opened his eyes again. A few days later, the hospital was pronounced him dead from brain injury. 

Nineteen-year old Antoine Watson was later arrested and charged for the homicide. 

The video angered the AAPI community who was just starting to feel the impact of racism hurled at them. The pandemic had hit the U.S. for a year earlier and health measures affected the economy and fueled a pent-up frustration and anger among Americans forced to stay at home, quarantine and wear masks. 

The growing hate against AAPI was fueled by the Donald Trump administration's rhetoric using racially disparaging terms calling the coronavirus the "Wuhan Virus," the "China Virus" or the "Kung Flu."

That same week, attacks against elderly Asian Americans in other cities were videotaped and shown on television news reports: a Filipino American man's face was slashed while riding a New York subway, a frail elder was violently shoved to the ground in Oakland and an elderly woman was hurt when she was attacked in San Jose in a robbery attempt.

The hate was real and the attacks continued; so was the growing anger felt by the AAPI communities. That anger felt in the AAPI communities turned into calls for justice and for law enforcement and officials to take these unwarranted attacks seriously. The attack on Ratanapakdee and his death launched a movement.

Celebrities used their social media platforms to raise money for awards for information about the attackers, they appeared in news programs and dogged media to begin reporting these attacks as hate crimes.

Civil rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Amanda Nguyen posted an Instagram video showing the viciousness of the attacks on helpless elders she called on national media outlets to better cover the wave of anti-Asian violence targeting elderly residents from the San Francisco Bay Area to New York City.

Actors Daniel Dae Kim and Daniel Wu offered thousands of dollars as awards for information leading to an arrest of the attacker in an Oakland incident.

Soon AAPI celebrities, politicians and activists were on talk shows telling viewers about the horrible incidents and how they were personally affected. Some were even brave enough to admit that they too, suffered the slings of bias. The message they shared was: "the hate is real, notice us, take us seriously, help us fight racism."

A community group, Stop Asian Hate, began collecting reports of anti-Asian hate in March of 2021. Since then, nationwide there have been over 10,000 incidents of hate, ranging from verbal abuse to the fatal shooting spree that killed Asian spa workers in Georgia.

In several U.S. cities, Rallies for Justice will be held this weekend commemorating Ratanapakdee's death and the thousands who have suffered and died from the hate directed at them. Click here to find a rally near you.

Ratanapakdee's daughter Monthanus said she and her family continue to bear unspeakable grief from the killing of her father.

Her husband Eric Lawson told the Marina Times, “When Antoine Watson pushed my father-in-law hard into the sidewalk and killed him, he showed no humanity at all. His killing of our father was just like Derek Chauvin putting his knee on George Floyd’s neck to kill him.”

Meanwhile, the attacks against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders continue. San Francisco police department data shows anti-Asian hate incidents soared from nine in 2020 to 60 in 2021, a 567% increase. Police believe the number of hate incidents is probably higher because, often times, the victims do not contact the police.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd.

Maryland launches initiatives to help fight hate crimes against Asians and AAPI

SCREEN CAPTURE

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and his family.

Maryland launched a new initiative to combat the rising number of crimes directed against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. 

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced  Saturday (Oct. 15) a series of statewide actions to combat the rise in anti-Asian hate and bias crimes, including enhanced safety and enforcement measures, more robust community resources, and steps to empower educators and students. 

“The actions we are announcing here today are the beginning,” said Hogan. “We will use every tool at our disposal to help provide additional protection to those who are impacted by these crimes. I want to sincerely thank all the members of the workgroup for agreeing to serve this important mission at such a critical time. 

The Republican governor thanked his wife, Yumi Hogan, who is Korean American, and daughter, Jaymi Sterling, for bringing the issue of anti-Asian hate to his attention.

“It was actually Jaymi’s idea to create this work group to address the alarming rise of racist rhetoric, vitriol and harassment against Asian Americans.”

Sterling is a member of the Asian American Hate Crimes Workgroup. She’s also an assistant state’s attorney in Anne Arundel County. Sterling said Asian Americans across the country “are under attack.”

“We want the victims of these crimes to know, we see you. We hear you. And we’re here and we’re standing with you,” added Sterling.

Hogan was also joined for Saturday’s announcements by former U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur, chairman of the governor’s Asian American Hate Crimes Workgroup, and members of the workgroup. The governor announced the establishment of the workgroup in April in response to the rise in violence and discrimination targeting the Asian American community. Nearly one-third of Asian Americans have experienced discrimination in some form over the course of the pandemic.

“To make things better, to reduce ignorance and hate, we need concrete action informed by careful thought, analysis, and consideration of different perspectives,” said Hur. 

Former U.S. Attorney Robert Hur chairs Maryland's Asian American Hate Crimes Work Group.

Building on the workgroup’s efforts, the governor is advancing immediate actions to support Asian American students, businesses, and families: 

Public Safety and Enforcement

• Updating hate and bias training for law enforcement agencies to include reporting of hate and bias incidents and crimes. 
• Designating a Maryland State Police commander to act as liaison for hate crimes and racially biased incidents, and launching a partnership between the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center (MCAC) and the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives (GOCI) to share data.
• Encouraging state and local law enforcement agencies to prioritize diversity in recruiting, and offering incentives for officers who are proficient in multiple languages.
• Providing $1 million in funding to provide devices with translation apps (i.e. Google Translate) for law enforcement and victims services organizations.
• Calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to expedite guidance for the implementation of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act.

Community Resources

• Increasing Protecting Against Hate Crimes funding from $3 million to $5 million—a 67% increase—and directing the Governor’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs to conduct aggressive outreach efforts regarding the availability of funding.
• Making 211 Maryland a resource for reporting hate and bias incidents and providing information about services and resources in Asian languages.
• Launching an online resource center, and publishing a guide for How To Report Hate Crimes & Incidents available in Asian languages.
• Developing alternative reporting channels, including community organizations, nonprofits, and faith centers.

Educators and Students

• Directing the Maryland Center for School Safety to develop resources for educators, parents, and students on how to identify and report hate and bias incidents.
• Engaging with the Maryland State Department of Education on developing a Continuing Professional Development offering on Asian American history for teachers.
• Working with the University System of Maryland to explore scholarships and fellowships through the Merrill College of Journalism to encourage more Asian-American participation in journalism.
• Provide education resources online for educators and members of the public.

Sesame Street: helps start conversations with your kids about anti-Asian bullying

SESAME STREET

'Sesame Street's' Wes and Alan help boost Analyn's spirits after she was teased about her eyes.

With the surge of attacks against Asian Americans since the start of the pandemic, AAPI parents have had the difficult task of explaining racism to their children.

Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind "Sesame Street," recently released a video focused on the experiences of Asian American children as part of an ongoing initiative to help families have honest conversations about race.

In the segment “Proud of Your Eyes,” the characters Wes and Alan help their friend Analyn, who is Filipino American, after she says she was teased about the shape of her eyes. 

They sing a song together about how their eyes are beautiful and how eyes can tell the story of their family. The video is part of Sesame Workshop's program "The ABCs of Racial Literacy," which provides an educational curriculum on racial justice for young children.

The song includes lyrics such as, “Your eyes tell the story of your family. They show where you came from, and how you came to be. The color, the shape and the size should always make you proud of your eyes.”

"Having open conversations with children about race and racism is critical, not only for building understanding and empathy, but also for beginning the healing process for children who experience racism," say Anita Gundanna and Vanessa Leung, Co-Executive Directors of Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF), who served as advisors on the new resources. 

“The reality is that many children grow up experiencing racism, including Asian American children who for years have reported high levels of racial harassment—a number exacerbated by heightened xenophobia and scapegoating during the COVID-19 pandemic,"they said in a statement.

Alan Muraoka, the Japanese American actor who has played Alan, the owner of Hooper’s Store, on Sesame Street since 1998, assisted in creating storylines centered around diversity and discrimination on the show. Last year, he co-directed a special on racism entitled “The Power of We.”

“To be able to see so many different types of people represented is super important," Muraoka said in an interview with NBC's Today show in 2019. “So for me, being Japanese American, you know, to be sort of the Asian American representation on the show is so important, and I've had so many Asian American parents come up and say how much that meant to them.”

With a long history of building trust with families, Sesame Workshop is the ideal organization to engage parents and caregivers in critical conversations with their little ones, help families cope with the harms of racism, and help build solidarity among communities.”

Besides this video, Sesame Workshop also released online articles, guides and activities to help families continue the conversation about combating racism. The new resources were created with guidance from the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families along with several other racial equity groups.

"Sesame Workshop has always stood for diversity, inclusion, equity, and kindness. As a trusted source for families, we have a responsibility to speak out for racial justice and empower families to have conversations about race and identity with their children at a young age,” said Kay Wilson Stallings, Executive Vice President of Creative and Production, Sesame Workshop. 

“The work to dismantle racism begins by helping children understand what racism is and how it hurts and impacts people. Sadly, today’s announcement comes at a time of racial and social discord when many families are in need of support in talking to their children about racism. We’re proud to reaffirm our Coming Together commitment to racial justice, which will be woven into new Sesame Workshop content for years to come.”

In the year of the dual pandemics of the coronavirus and hate, Biden proclaims Asian American and Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander Heritage Month, 2021

The year of hate directed at Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders was noted in this year's Presidential Proclamation making May as Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which was issued today (April 30, 2021).

Besides extolling the contributions of the AAPI community have made and continuing to make in this country, the proclamation was couched in the context of trying to undo the ignorance and misdirection of the previous administration that fertilized the latent bias so embedded in our institutions and culture that it is not recognized as such.

"In spite of the strength shown and successes achieved, the American dream remains out of reach for far too many AANHPI families. AANHPI communities face systemic barriers to economic justice, health equity, educational attainment, and personal safety.  These challenges are compounded by stark gaps in Federal data, which too often fails to reflect the diversity of AANHPI communities and the particular barriers that Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Southeast Asian, and South Asian communities in the United States continue to face," reads the proclamation

Biden continues, "My Administration also recognizes the heightened fear felt by many Asian American communities in the wake of increasing rates of anti-Asian harassment and violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the increasingly observable layers of hate now directed toward women and elders of Asian descent in particular.  Our Nation continues to grieve the senseless killings of six women of Asian descent in Atlanta, and the unconscionable acts of violence victimizing our beloved Asian American seniors in cities across the country.

Biden repeated a statement that he has said several times since he took office 100 days ago. "Acts of anti-Asian bias are wrong, they are un-American, and they must stop."

Recognizing that the current surge of hate crimes against AANHPI is not a recent phenomenon, the proclamation continued: 

"Present-day inequities faced by AANHPI communities are rooted in our Nation’s history of exclusion, discrimination, racism, and xenophobia against Asian Americans.  Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders have endured a long history of injustice — including the Page Act of 1875, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the incarceration of Japanese American citizens during World War II, the murder of Vincent Chin, the mass shooting of Southeast Asian refugee children in 1989, and the targeting of South Asian Americans, especially those who are Muslim, Hindu, or Sikh, after the national tragedy of 9/11.  

Addressing the erasure of Asian Americans in U.S. history and the acceptance of the discrimination that has faced the community for centuries, Biden said: "It is long past time for Federal leadership to advance inclusion, belonging, and acceptance for all AANHPI communities.  My Administration is committed to a whole-of-government effort to advance equity, root out racial injustices in our Federal institutions, and finally deliver the promise of America for all Americans."

SCREEN CAPTURE / NBC

The President began the proclamation by pointing out his historic decision to make Kamala Harris his Vice President.

"During this year’s Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month, our Nation celebrates the achievements of Vice President Harris, the first person of South Asian descent to hold the Office of the Vice President," the proclamation says. "Vice President Harris has blazed a trail and set an example for young people across the country to aspire to follow, including members of AANHPI communities and AANHPI women in particular. "

The proclamation makes particular note the role AANHPI healthcare workers are playing in battling the coronavirus pandemic, a disease that will go down in the history books as one of the deadliest and the impact it had on the entire country affecting almost every aspect of life.

"We also celebrate and honor the invaluable contributions the AANHPI communities have made to our Nation’s culture and the arts, law, science and technology, sports and public service — including the courageous AANHPIs who have served on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic as health care providers, first responders, teachers, and other essential workers," the proclamation says.

 

This May, during Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we recognize the history and achievements of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) across our Nation.  In the midst of a difficult year of pain and fear, we reflect on the tradition of leadership, resilience, and courage shown by AANHPI communities, and recommit to the struggle for AANHPI equity.

Asian Americans, and Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders make our Nation more vibrant through diversity of cultures, languages, and religions.  There is no single story of the AANHPI experience, but rather a diversity of contributions that enrich America’s culture and society and strengthen the United States’ role as a global leader.  The American story as we know it would be impossible without the strength, contributions, and legacies of AANHPIs who have helped build and unite this country in each successive generation.  From laying railroad tracks, tilling fields, and starting businesses, to caring for our loved ones and honorably serving our Nation in uniform, AANHPI communities are deeply rooted in the history of the United States.

We also celebrate and honor the invaluable contributions the AANHPI communities have made to our Nation’s culture and the arts, law, science and technology, sports and public service — including the courageous AANHPIs who have served on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic as health care providers, first responders, teachers, and other essential workers.

During this year’s Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month, our Nation celebrates the achievements of Vice President Harris, the first person of South Asian descent to hold the Office of the Vice President.  Vice President Harris has blazed a trail and set an example for young people across the country to aspire to follow, including members of AANHPI communities and AANHPI women in particular. 

In spite of the strength shown and successes achieved, the American dream remains out of reach for far too many AANHPI families. AANHPI communities face systemic barriers to economic justice, health equity, educational attainment, and personal safety.  These challenges are compounded by stark gaps in Federal data, which too often fails to reflect the diversity of AANHPI communities and the particular barriers that Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Southeast Asian, and South Asian communities in the United States continue to face.

My Administration also recognizes the heightened fear felt by many Asian American communities in the wake of increasing rates of anti-Asian harassment and violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the increasingly observable layers of hate now directed toward women and elders of Asian descent in particular.  Our Nation continues to grieve the senseless killings of six women of Asian descent in Atlanta, and the unconscionable acts of violence victimizing our beloved Asian American seniors in cities across the country.

Acts of anti-Asian bias are wrong, they are un-American, and they must stop.  My Administration will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with AANHPI communities in condemning, denouncing, and preventing these acts of violence.  We will continue to look for opportunities to heal together and fight against the racism and xenophobia that still exists in this country.

Present-day inequities faced by AANHPI communities are rooted in our Nation’s history of exclusion, discrimination, racism, and xenophobia against Asian Americans.  Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders have endured a long history of injustice — including the Page Act of 1875, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the incarceration of Japanese American citizens during World War II, the murder of Vincent Chin, the mass shooting of Southeast Asian refugee children in 1989, and the targeting of South Asian Americans, especially those who are Muslim, Hindu, or Sikh, after the national tragedy of 9/11.  It is long past time for Federal leadership to advance inclusion, belonging, and acceptance for all AANHPI communities.  My Administration is committed to a whole-of-government effort to advance equity, root out racial injustices in our Federal institutions, and finally deliver the promise of America for all Americans.

Vice President Harris and I affirm that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders make our Nation stronger.  I urge my fellow Americans to join us this month in celebrating AANHPI history, people, and cultures.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2021 as Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month.  I call upon the people of the United States to learn more about the history of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, and to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities.

 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.

                             JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.