Views From The Edge: racism

Showing posts with label racism. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Year ender: 2025 is the year racism became 'normalized'

ANALYSIS

One of the most unsettling outcomes of Donald Trump's second term is the normalization of racism.

In less than a year of Donald Trump, the American political landscape has shifted dramatically, and for many in the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities, the "view from the edge" is one of increasing alarm. The start of Donald Trump’s second term has brought a resurgence of overt racial tension, merging old tropes with new federal mandates that threaten decades of civil rights progress.

Trump's Cabinet applauded him this week after he described Somali immigrants as "garbage" who "contribute nothing." He unapologetically condemned an entire community, with no fear of political backlash.

Societal guardrails against racist, xenophobic or dehumanizing rhetoric have all but vanished on the American right. What was once disqualifying — or the exclusive domain of online trolls — is now a fixture of national political discourse, write Axios' Zachary Basu and Russell Contreras.

Rise of White radicalism

Before Trump came on the scene in 2015, it was common in modern American politics for elected or appointed officials to face consequences for making racist or bigoted comments.

In 2002, GOP Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott stepped down from leadership after praising Strom Thurmond's 1948 segregationist presidential campaign.

Even during Trump's first term, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) was censured and removed from committees for questioning why terms such as "white nationalist" and "white supremacist" had become offensive.

But Trump's blatant racism doesn't appear to affect his MAGA base and conservative-leaning voters. Public outrage over his caustic language growing more muted year as the public reaction and media see his racist statements as simply: "Trump being Trump."

RELATED: Trump's preference for white immigrants

Trump vaulted into political prominence by promoting the racist conspiracy theory that President Obama wasn't born in the U.S. — a playbook he revived in 2024 against other rivals of color.

His 2016 campaign-opening claim that Mexico was sending "rapists" into the U.S. triggered weeks of national uproar, as did his leaked complaint in 2018 about immigration from "shithole countries." Trump being Trump.

Then came the 2024 election campaign, which blew open the Overton window on race and identity.

Trump discarded any lingering restraint, declaring that unauthorized immigrants were "poisoning the blood of our country" (language taken directly from Hitler speeches), and amplifying false claims that Haitian migrants in Ohio were eating pets.

. Photo by Shutterstock, Jason Leung/Unsplash

Conservatives mobilized around backlash to the 2020 racial justice movement, the Biden administration's immigration policies and perceived censorship of political speech by the left.

Trump's MAGA movement treated his 2024 win as a sweeping cultural mandate (though the close vote was not a mandate) — and grew more explicit in its mission to "defend Western civilization," which in the view of his followers, that message means "white" civilization.

Nearly a year into Trump's second term, language that once led to denials, clarifications or resignations now circulates freely online and at the highest levels of government.

Dismantling equity

It isn't just about rhetoric; the machinery of the federal government is being rewired.

The War on DEI: Following through on campaign promises and the Project 2025 blueprint, the administration has moved to purge Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs from the federal workforce, characterizing them as "anti-white racism".

The Retreat from Civil Rights: Key appointments, such as Harit Dylan as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, signal a pivot away from traditional oversight. Federal investigations into racial discrimination in schools have largely stalled as the Department of Education shifts focus toward "merit-based" opportunity.

GOP members of Congress reacted to New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's election by posting images of the 9/11 attacks and calling for the Ugandan-born Democrat to be denaturalized and deported.

DHS and White House social media accounts now routinely mock immigrants targeted for deportation, deploying trollish memes on official channels.

White nationalist Nick Fuentes has edged into the mainstream, with Trump defending the Holocaust denier's interview with Tucker Carlson as legitimate political dialogue.

A February 2025 report from Stop AAPI Hate documented a 59% spike in online threats and a 66% rise in anti-Asian slurs in the months following the vote.

The administration’s continued use of xenophobic rhetoric has been linked to a rise in offline harassment, reminding many of the historical scapegoating that led to the darkest chapters of AAPI history.

Beyond the AAPI community, Black and Latino Americans across 25 states reported receiving disturbing, anonymous text messages referencing "plantations," a wave of digital violence that civil rights groups say characterizes the current era's normalization of bigotry.

In a Thanksgiving post on his Truth Social, in an outright falsehood, Trump claimed that "most" of America's 53 million foreign-born residents are "on welfare, from failed nations, or from prisons, mental institutions, gangs, or drug cartels." Reaction? Trump being Trump.

Fighting racism can be wearying.

He blasted Americans who have been "politically correct" on immigration, labeled Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz "seriously retarded," and mocked Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) as "always wrapped in her swaddling hijab." Reaction? Trump being Trump.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Axios in a statement: "It's not racist to want secure borders and to deport illegal aliens who are undermining our sovereignty and destroying our country. Trump has never been politically correct, never holds back, and in large part, the American people re-elected him for his transparency."

RELATED: Asian Americans demonstrate against Trump

Immigrant and civil-rights advocates say the president's incendiary rhetoric on race has manifested in policies that strengthens the historical privilege of White people.

After slashing the US refugee cap to a historic low of 7,500, the Trump administration said it would prioritize White South Africans for nearly all available slots and appealed fro more immigration from predominantly White Scandinavian countries.

The administration has gutted major pillars of America's civil rights protections and racial equity infrastructure, wiping away public data, slashing research funding, and rewriting history from a White perspective and erasing contributions of people of color in textbooks, museums and other media.

'Human rights emergency'

While some within the AANHPI community have found appeal in the administration's "America First" agenda, the broader reality in 2025 among AANHPI is one of heightened vulnerability, no matter if you are American-born or first-generation immigrants and especially those who are not yet citizens.

With the threat of mass deportations and the potential reinstatement of the "Muslim Ban," advocacy groups like the ACLU and Human Rights Watch are calling this a "human rights emergency." The fight to maintain a multiracial democracy has never felt more urgent, as those on the edge of society face an administration intent on redefining what it means to belong in America.

Racist rhetoric and policies is being baked into our institutions. It could take years to undo the damage Trump has done to the Federal government that sets the standards for that for over half century have protected the country's health, economy and education. And if you include the judicial system, recovery could take decades.

This time of year when there is so much talk about brotherhood, peace and good will towards all, it is perhaps a good time to reflect how our Trump and his supporters have changed our country. We have to remember that just because racism has come out of the shadows and become acceptable in some sectors of American society, that doesn't mean "normal" is acceptable. It is not OK.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge.

Sunday, March 14, 2021

It's hard, I know: Violence against AAPI continues; resources to counter the anti-Asian attacks

An elderly man was violently and senselessly shoved to the pavement in Oakland, CA.

Attacks against Asian Americans that began rising in 2020 are continuing into 2021 and will likely continue until the pandemic comes under control.

The new year didn't end the violence. One resulted in the death of a Thai grandfather on his morning walk in San Francisco last January.. His attacker ran from across the street and at full speed pushed 84-year old Vichar Ratanapakdee to the ground where hit the grandfather hit his head on the pavement. It was a fatal injury. His suspected attacker pleaded not guilty even though the attack was caught on surveillance video.

Ratanapakdee's death and several other attacks in New York and San Francisco Bay Area spurred outrage and fear in the AAPI communities.

And the attacks continue, seemingly unabated. Just this past week:

A 67-year old man was doing his laundry in a laundromat in San Francisco last Saturday. Three hooded men with masks came in, pulled him from his chair and held him down as they robbed him of his cash.

An 83-year old Nancy Toh was collecting cans in White Plains, NY last Tuesday when a man spat in her face then punched her. A male suspect was arrested on Thursday.

A 25-year old mother with her infant was spat upon Tuesday and called "Chinese Virus" by a man in Queens, NY. The attacker ran off and is still at large, according to Rep. Grace Meng ,who represents the portion of Queens.

A Filipino American health care worker on her way to catch a commuter train Wednesday morning was pulled down by the hair and beaten in San Jose, CA. “He was saying f-u, f-u Asian, this is completely bull," she wrote in social media. “All while he was keeping me on the ground with his grip on my hair." Bystanders came to her rescue. The attacker was identified and arrested for a possible hate crime.

On his daily walk, an elderly man died after he was punched, knocked to the ground and robbed Tuesday. Traumatic head injuries led to his death on Thursday, hours before President Biden decried the violence against AAPI. Pak Ho's attacker, who has a history of assaulting elderly Asians, was arrested. Investigators haven't categorized it as a hate crime yet.

The troubling trend targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders was brought to light once again by President Joe Biden when he spoke to the nation during prime-time TV last Thursday, March 11, about the impact the pandemic has had on the United States.

"Too often, we've turned against one another," said Biden. "Vicious hate crimes against Asian Americans, who have been attacked, harassed, blamed and scapegoated."

"It's wrong. It's unAmerican. And it must stop," said the President.

Because of the previous White House occupant and his administration, many Americans blame the coronavirus on people from Asia, or appear to be Asian. Trump's rhetoric opened the door to unleash the darkest part of people's nature. Sometimes this came in the form of name-calling. Sometimes it resulted in death.

If you see it, report it. We're talking about the growing violence against Asian Americans. It's hard, I know.

Many Asian cultures believe that it is better to not create waves or don't draw attention to yourself. It's hard, I know, to draw attention to oneself when humility is a valued characteristic in many Asian communities. It's hard, I know.

"There are far more people who have not reported incidents than those who have," Connie Chung Joe, CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles, told NPR.

"This silence, however, keeps us from dispelling persistent myths and misconceptions that define AAPIs as model minorities and perpetual foreigners—rendering us invisible and insignificant to non-AAPIs who don’t really know us," writes marketing expert Bill Imada in an AdAge oped. "And if others don’t hear our stories and share them with others, these myths and misconceptions will continue to haunt us when another virus, act of terrorism or economic downturn surfaces in our country or in another part of the world."

It's hard, I know. It is up to you to evaluate the risk but it is important to act in some way, even if it's an offer of assistance to the victim or recording the incident on your smartphone or just tweeting about the incident.

For too long, the history of discrimination against AAPI have neglected reinforcing the model minority myth of silent perseverance overcoming bias. By calling attention to the current wave of violence towards AAPI we shine a light on the history of racism that that placed one group over others.

Here are some resources to help you. (It's not a complete list, but it's a good start.) It's hard, I know.

RESOURCES TO EDUCATE

SIGN PETITIONS

DONATE

REPORT AN INCIDENT

MENTAL HEALTH

MORE ACTION

CORPORATE STATEMENTS

Thursday, January 7, 2021

Anger over the election masks the outpouring of racism in coup attempt

SCREEN CAPTURE
Jan. 6, 2021 -- a day of shame.

OPINION

Let's be frank. As much as it upsets people to talk about it, racism was a major motivation for the angry mobs who stormed the nation's Capitol Wednesday.

There was noose hanging on a makeshift gallows constructed outside the Capitol. There was the Confederate flag leading the insurgents into the hallowed hallways of Congress. There was the white supremacists flashing the "OK" hand sign co-opted by white power advocates. There were the mobs themselves, rummaging through offices, smashing glass doors. Mostly all of them were white.

At least one of the insurgents who made his way into the Capitol building was pictured wearing a "Camp Auschwitz" sweatshirt in reference to the Nazi Germany–death camp where more than 1 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust.

All that was missing was the "sieg heils" and white hoods.

“Today we witnessed nothing short of a terrorist attack on a sacred U.S. institution and our democracy," said Asian Americans Advancing Justice in a statement. "White power and white supremacy were on full display today."

The people who broke through the limpid police lines, roamed the hallways looking for the lawmakers, and vandalized offices and the hallowed chambers of the House of Representatives and Senate were not expressing moral outrage or trying to make a political point.

Protesting the election results which their hero Donald Trump lost in a landslide to Joe Biden was just a mask for their racism.

Their motivation was a manifestation of their ignorance and xenophobia and a belief that they were losing their entitlement and privilege as a result of occupying the top of cultural, political and psychological ladder for so long.

Many of them were white supremacists, members of the racist comestic terrorist groups including the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.

The rioters were egged on by a racist-in-chief who gave them permission to march over to the Capitol where Congress was confirming the vote count of the Presidential election of Nov. 3. The usually ceremonial process was slowed by challenges by Congress members forcing the House and Senate to "debate" the tally of individual states.

“The assault of the Capitol was the direct result of a Republican party that has been willing to indulge white supremacy and conspiracy theories throughout the Trump Presidency," said Rep. Judy Chu, D-CA, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

SCREEN CAPTURE / MSNBC

A man carried the Confederate battle flag into the Capitol building.

Jan. 6, 2021 will be remembered for the unprecedented coup attempt where only 52 people were arrested.

Compared to law enforcement's response to peaceful Black Lives Matter demonstrators, Capitol police were remarkably restrained and unprepared for the large number of aggressive rioters.

Curiously there was a video showing Capitol police removing a barrier allowing the insurrectionists access to the Capitol steps and smart phone photos of the insurrectionists taking selfies with police officers.

In the end, after the coup attempt failed and the traitors were cleared from the building, in the early morning hours of Thursday the electoral vote count was confirmed, making Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, respectively, the next President and Vice President of the United States.

African Americans and other People of Color have known for so long and talked about the racism that darkens every aspect of the nation's soul. Don't put the responsibility of healing the nation on us.

American democracy survived this attack but it can never recover from its wounds until American Whites admit that the sins of racism continues to divide our nation. Only after that admission, can we begin addressing ways all of us can overcome our prejudices.

EDITOR'S NOTE; A word of caution. This is an opinion piece. Readers should consult several sources of news to form their own opinion.

Monday, September 28, 2020

L.A. Times apologizes for its 'history of racism'

To underscore the critical nature of the current state of race relations in the United States, the Los Angeles Times issued an apology for the way it portrayed minority communities in the past as an institution enabling the white power structure and vowed to do a better job of reflecting their readers and reporting on concerns of communities of color.

In its Sunday edition, owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong issued this statement in a letter:

“This year, across America, we’ve engaged in conversations about race and discrimination that have been candid, direct and consequential. They are happening among friends and co-workers, through protests and political debates, at athletic events and in pop culture. And they are happening at the Los Angeles Times.”

His letter continued: "We also feel a deep personal responsibility and duty to fight racism and bias. The national reckoning on race and that within the Los Angeles Times are welcome developments that have already led to productive conversations, concrete plans and accelerated progress for us.

"We are committed to change, both because it is just and because it is mission-critical for our business. Only a diverse newsroom can accurately tell this city’s stories. Only a newspaper that holds power to account and uncovers injustice can truly succeed," writes Soon-Shiong.

"The Times has committed to a close examination of its past, beginning with the project we are launching today. It starts with an overview by the editorial board of The Times’ history in covering and employing people of color and an acknowledgment of the paper’s failings. Over the following days, we will run stories by staff reporters and columnists examining in greater depth, and from a personal perspective, aspects of the paper’s coverage of nonwhite communities and treatment of journalists of color."

The paper's editorial went further by recounting some of the stories and issues where the Times failed by writing from a white, Protestant, suburban perspective when writing about communities of color, which in the past were portrayed as crime-ridden ghettoes, ignoring the hardworking, honest residents.

The Times apologized for past editorial positions including the newspaper's strong support of the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII and for its endorsement of Proposition 187, which banned health care and social services to undocumented immigrants and which the courts eventually turned down.

The editorial went on to say:

"On behalf of this institution, we apologize for The Times’ history of racism. We owe it to our readers to do better, and we vow to do so. A region as diverse and complex and fascinating as Southern California deserves a newspaper that reflects its communities. Today, 38% of the journalists on our staff are people of color. We know that is not nearly good enough, in a county that is 48% Latino and in a state where Latinos are the largest ethnic group. We know that this acknowledgment must be accompanied by a real commitment to change, a humility of spirit and an openness of mind and heart.

"The Times will redouble and refocus its efforts to become an inclusive and inspiring voice of California — a sentinel that employs investigative and accountability reporting to help protect our fragile democracy and chronicles the stories of the Golden State, including stories that historically were neglected by the mainstream press. Being careful stewards of this new company, privately owned but operated for the benefit of the public, is our first obligation. But that stewardship will also require bold and decisive change. If we are to survive as a business, it will be by tapping into a digital, multicultural, multigenerational audience in a way The Times has never fully done."

It will be interesting to see if other publications that encouraged racist policies or made stitlted portrayals of minorities make similar apologies.

To say that the mea culpa by the Los Angeles Times is long overdue is a vast understatement, but the promises it makes to be more inclusive and to step down from its Ivory Tower should be welcomed, but viewed with cautiously because we've heard these promises before only to have minority journalists leave print careers in droves because they were tired of butting heads against the institution's walls of explicit and implicit bias.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A word of caution, this article is news laced with opinion. Readers are encouraged to seek multiple news sources to formulate their own positions.

Views From The Edge