. Posted by Sherrie Thai by Shaireproductions.com .
Racism against Asians in America has been around since the 1800s, but within the last year, the ignorant Anti-Asian rhetoric from the former administration (blaming Covid on Asians), sparked upticks in racist attacks, with 68% of them were against women. Emboldened by the anonymity of masks and the lack of people on the streets, cowards have emerged, creating chaos and pain.
It is been devastating that during this Women’s History Month, there has been a mass shooting of women. The Georgian shooter of 6 Asian women was dismissed as a ‘sex addicted guy who was having a bad day’. That sad excuse is part of how Asians have been treated, where racist acts are overlooked, where Asians are deemed “overly sensitive”, and have been the punchline to jokes (even before Covid), dehumanized and degraded into nothingness, where violence is excused as a fluke. The murdered women were the most vulnerable–immigrant women, who were trying to support their family and survive. The racist stereotypes of the hyper-sexualized Asian woman fetish (yellow fever) mixed with misogyny caused this. Racism caused this. The continued dismissal of the hatred prevalent in our communities is killing us; as a society of different races, an offence to one race is an offence to all. Asians have been considered “statistically insignificant”, and the hatred has festered and created an environment of anger and fear. The Model Minority myth created out of white supremacy from the 1960s, was designed to pit races against each other and has been used as an excuse not to focus on the dire needs of an already vulnerable community.
Inspired by the reawakening of racial justice from George Floyd protests, there has been greater conversation and actions of racial justice; I hope that continues. Steps to combat the hate: Educate yourself, Become an Ally, Mobilize (speak up, volunteer, donate), and Spread the Love (support each other). Combat racism with solidarity.