A Letter from ASA: Stop AAPI Hate

Provided by ASA

In light of the tragedy within the AAPI community in Atlanta, we wish to share our thoughts with Regis University. 

We, Asian Student Alliance, condemn this tragedy as a racially-charged hate crime fueled by white supremacy. This recent incident is one of many in a history of hate against the AAPI community, and unfortunately, the rhetoric in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has only increased this discrimination and harassment. It has been reported that there were over 3,800 instances of discrimination in the past year (Stop AAPI Hate https://stopaapihate.org/reportsreleases). Types of discrimination include verbal harrassment, physical asaault, civil rights violations, and online harassment.

At the heart of this issue is the model minority myth. This myth perpetuates the idea that Asian people have more privilege than other people of color. This creates tension between communities of color and blindsides us from the real issue, which is white supremacy. The model minority myth was originally a political tool used by white supremcists who claimed that racism doesn’t exist—since Asians were a “successful” people of color, hardships among other communities of color were attributed to laziness. This is a false and harmful claim because it leads to other issues, including the segregation of education amongst East Asians and South East Asians. It also covers up the racist past of the US Government and ignores how white supremacy has used Asian people as a scapegoat for previous immigration and job issues, as was evident in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.  

The rhetoric that blamed COVID-19 on Asian countries has created a bigger target on our backs, especially for those in the elderly community because they are considered an easier target. Again, this feeds into the harmful myth that Asian people will not fight back because they are considered non-confrontational. Scapegoating the AAPI community in this way has clear and deadly consequences.

For this reason, we are disheartened by the portrayal of this attack as motivated by a “sex addiction” rather than race. In reality, these issues are interconnected. The AAPI community has endured decades of stereotyping, all of which have caused the AAPI community to be perceived as foreign. This has caused a dangerous fetishization of Asian people that, as we saw already, can prove to be life-threatening. Asian women are especially at risk; Stop AAPI Hate reports that women in the AAPI community experienced 2.3 times more hate incidents when compared to AAPI men. Reducing the problem to a “sex addiction” prevents us from addressing the real issues at hand. We must instead address the harassment these women have faced and the reasoning behind it.

Furthermore, we are disheartened by the claim that this was simply a “bad day” for the domestic terrorist who attacked the parlor in Georgia. This excuse minimizes the devastation of this attack. As a society, we have witnessed how women are forced to internalize their “bad days.” Meanwhile, men are excused for committing hate crimes on their “bad days.” Neither outlet should be accepted.

We understand that this is not an easy subject to talk about. Our best recommendation is listening. We want our voices to be both heard and echoed. The best help you can provide is through extending our message to others. The Asian community has already spent decades suffering from stereotypes that encouraged us to stay quiet.

This is true of other communities of color, too; however, we wish to address that this issue should not be compared to the Black Lives Matter Movement. Our problems and communities each suffer from our own struggles and histories. Forcing a comparison between the two can downplay the realities that both communities face. 

We don’t expect you to relate to the issues we have shared with regards to the AAPI community, but we plead for recognition in a society that has tried to silence us. We are optimistic that the rest of the university will follow suit in our call to action.  Our hearts go out to the families and friends of those who lost their lives in this tragedy. May their memories live on through the actions we take to become a better country. #STOPAAPIHATE

Resources:

https://stopaapihate.org

https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co

My Coronavirus Experience: Where’s the empathy?

By:  Morgan Jacobus, Staff Writer

In the midst of this coronavirus pandemic, I can’t help but marvel at how the people around me are reacting. I, personally, have not had too much worry about this situation, as I am not in the high risk demographic for contracting the disease.  I have faith that we will work through the complications - as a country and as a college. However, I have gotten more and more concerned about the people around me. My apprehension began with people’s reactions, concern, and expression of worry over this sudden change in daily life. It quickly escalated last week as people awaited the official guidelines. On Thursday, Regis finally released their highly anticipated decision regarding the virus. At that point, people’s anxieties skyrocketed as the time without information lengthened, and their frustrations reached a breaking point. The frustrations only seemed to continue and exponentially increase as they released their frustrations on Regis’ instagram post announcing their decision. Frankly, I was shocked and dumb-founded by the outpour of sheer anger. 

Now, I am not saying I agree 100% with the way that the institution handled the situation, but I did not think that the student body handled it in the best way either. The blatant attacks that happened were so uncalled for, and were frankly immature. What shocked me even more was how I saw people I was friends with, including  my roommate, all join in on this mob mentality. It was excessive and unnecessarily aggressive. 

Not long after following the announcement,  the university sent out an update declaring that they had revised their plan so that in-class meetings would be suspended for three days, and online classes would begin after that period. I believe this was a better course of action, due to the nature of the pandemic, however I think that this change was a result of RUSGA’s address about the decision, not the hateful comments from various students. At least, I would like to believe that. 

Now, fast forward a few days when I am able to come home, being fortunate enough to have my home not too far of a drive away. My mama and I bravely voyaged to none other than Sam’s Club. Never before had I seen such barren shelves at this store. People were grabbing anything they could get their hands on, whether or not it was what they were after originally. You could sense the sheer panic and frustration hanging in the air. Everyone was on edge. We somehow made it out alive, with some groceries in hand. 

Seems like all over social media there are people posting about empty grocery shelves as more information about the virus circulated. I understand that being told to stay at home if you can for a few weeks can result in stocking up on some essentials, but the sheer volume and ferocity with which people chose to stock up was outrageous. I mean, is it necessary to buy out all of the toilet paper?? 

Once again I found myself in awe at people’s behavior. I tried to practice understanding, like how I did with my college when they were having to handle a difficult situation, but I couldn’t help but see a lack of empathy and kindness. Even grocery decisions aside, I was aghast at how many people weren’t taking this situation seriously. While I didn’t have many worries myself, I still understood the sheer urgency and importance of following government guidelines to stay home. The fact that they had to explicitly call out millenials to avoid discretionary trips and social gatherings made me so disappointed that that was what it had to come to. 

I saw a post on Instagram recently that said how our elders were called to war to save lives, we are being called to sit on the couch to save theirs, which I think is important to keep in mind as we struggle through this change in our daily lives. Yes, I know there are some things you would rather be doing, but put it in perspective for a second: this is not for us, who are young enough and healthy enough to fight this disease, it is for the people who can’t. And come on, I’m sure there are plenty of us who didn’t need an excuse to stay home beforehand, so why not now? Make the best of the situation you are in; watch that show you haven’t had time to watch, read some books, snuggle your dog, and do what you can to not make this situation worse.