San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
Urgent calls for action, support as anti-asian racism rises
It’s a lesson that we’ve not only had the past year to learn but hundreds of years. Directing our anger, fear, confusion, lack of information, or just plain pandemic exhaustion at marginalized groups of people is both harmful and counterproductive. Over the past year, there have been nearly 3,000 reported cases of anti-asian attacks in the U.S., related to bigoted and incorrect rhetoric around COVID-19. Recently, those acts of racism have been on the rise again.
“These recent incidents are stark reminders that urgent action must be taken to protect our AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community from hate, discrimination and violence,” Russel Jeung, professor of Asian American studies at San Francisco State University and a co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, said in a statement last month.
“It is up to all of us — businesses, the government and community partners — to come together and immediately support victims and families affected by these incidents, and work together to create longlasting solutions that empower our communities with resources, support and education.”
Kirin Amiling Macapugay, is a professor of human services and social work for the San Diego Community College District, serves on the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs, and founded the nonprofit Asian Pacific Islander Community Actions. Macapugay took some time to discuss these recent attacks against the AAPI community and how we understand this specifically anti-asian racism. (This email interview has been edited for length and clarity. For a longer version of this conversation, visit sandiegouniontribune.com/ sdut-lisa-deaderick-staff.html.)
Q:
The recent string of racist attacks against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders has reignited a discussion of antiasian racism and how to address it. Where do you think this recent spike in racist attacks is coming from? What do you make of this recent spike in racist attacks against the AAPI community?
A:
Asian American, Pacific Islander people, Black people and other people of color have been subject to racism for hundreds of years — from the Chinese
Exclusionary Act of 1882, to Executive Order 9066 during World War II, sending Americans of Japanese descent to internment camps throughout the country, to Pacific Islanders’ continued fights for autonomy in American-owned land. There was a time when new Irish immigrants were attacked by more established Irish communities. This is all to say we have a history in this country of scapegoating people we consider to be “other”/different/not American, during times of economic and social struggle. This pandemic has been a grave challenge for everyone, and many of us, including those of us in the AAPI community, have lost those we care about to COVID-19. The recent spike tells me misplaced fear and anger continue, and AAPIS are again the recipients of society’s fears.
Q:
There were reports in February that these attacks against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders weren’t being investigated as hate crimes. Does this communicate anything about our response to anti-asian racism? If so, what does this say to you about how this kind of violence and discrimination is understood and viewed in our public consciousness?
A:
Stop AAPI Hate (a national coalition that documents and addresses anti-asian hate and discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic) began serving as a reporting hub for AAPIS experiencing incidences of hate in March of 2020, with grassroots organizations encouraging community members to report their experiences. There have been 2,800 documented nationwide, half of these in California. In San Diego alone, there were 42 attacks reported over the past 41 weeks. That is an average of one AAPI person right here in San Diego attacked every single week.
More recognizable AAPI celebrities and NON-AAPI notable public figures began sharing on social media to raise awareness, and I am heartened there is more widestream attention. It saddens me there needs to be this desperate plea for the public to acknowledge when racism happens to any group. I am also saddened that many do not know the history of systemic racism against AAPIS, Black, Indigenous and other people of color. It is not comfortable and it is not pleasant coming to terms with hate in a time when people are struggling with their own personal challenges. It is easier to turn off the TV or not read that social media post about hate, or to dismiss it as happening to other people who have nothing to do with you, but that just allows hate to perpetuate. What I hope is that people take this as an opportunity to reflect and acknowledge how they may have ever engaged in or allowed hate to happen, and what they will do to combat hate in themselves and those around them.
Q:
What would be some ways you’d like to see people move from awareness to action, in support of the AAPI community?
A:
Do not dismiss these incidences. Please understand that the model minority myth is a harmful one used to hurt others. Please support leaders, laws, policies and public budgets that purposely acknowledge race and work toward anti-racism. Demand that our elected and appointed leaders allocate resources and support to our communities in the form of financial assistance, health resources, mental health resources, affordable education from kindergarten to graduate school. Learn from and support groups like Stop AAPI Hate, the San Diego API Coalition, Asian Solidarity Collective, and many more. Most importantly, speak up against all forms of racism, from whoever you hear it from. Support the AAPI community voice, and the Black community, and the Latinx community, and the Native American community, and those struggling even more to survive in this pandemic. If we want to move forward as a society, we need to do this together.
lisa.deaderick@sduniontribune.com