STANDING TOGETHER

By Margaret Mowrer Design By Michaela Brown

Harvard admissions officers charged for consistently lowering the rating of Asian American student’s personal ratings, making their scores low enough to reject . Taiwanese NBA player, Jeremy Lin is called “coronavirus” on the basketball court. In March, nine women of Asian descent were shot at massage parlors and salons. These are just some of many harmful and discriminatory events that have affected the Asian American community, specifically South East Asians.

Chinese teacher, Jana Thompson is one of many who have heard about the events taking place against Asian American individuals.

“In the case of the massage workers shooting, I was so sad when I heard about it,” Thompson said. “I think it’s important to value others as ourselves, to make restitution and honor those who’ve been mistreated, even in the past. And then to move on, to think of ourselves and act toward others as equal, with respect and humbleness. Too often the road toward blame alone is taken, and this does not lead to a better future, but only a ‘shouting’ match.”

Even with individuals recognizing the concern, senior Jaline Tay reflects on her life and shares her perspective of the situation.

“As first-generation immigrants, my parents don’t want me to believe that the country they brought me to and birthed me in is an unsafe place for me to live. While I understand that it is more important that we are able to talk about these issues and find a way to solve them, especially since we are the ones being attacked,” Tay said. “In terms of not talking about Asian discrimination much in the classroom, I believe the reason for that is because unfortunately, there hasn’t been enough shocking stories in the media for this topic to gain enough traction to build conversation.”

Japanese teacher, Elizabeth Bays, further explains the concerns as a whole and discusses two realizations people need to have that could benefit many individuals.

“It’s frustrating, it’s maddening, but it is the symptom of a larger problem. A problem that Americans still haven’t really confronted, admitted, or acknowledged,” Bays said. “There are more people on that ship than there were. They realize, ‘We do have a problem.’ It’s not just time, it is action. People need to make themselves aware of the concerns and challenges faced by our [people of color].”

During an NBA game, professional basketball player Jeremy Lin was verbally called “coronavirus” on the basketball floor by another player. Thompson shares a time she experienced when others treated her with openness into their culture, rather than verbal abuse.

“[An] experience I had my first year in a city of 400,000 with only six non-Chinese people living there, was upon wanting to visit the maternity ward in a hospital to see how hospitals were the same and different from my own country. People raised the question of whether or not I might have AIDS because I was an American, and the AIDS epidemic had not yet spread in China, but had been a problem here in the U.S,” Thompson said. “Again, my personal experience in these misunderstandings was to think of why this was raised, to be positive in my response, and move on.”

Despite the potential for openness and peace for all, the divide of race equality still presents concern in the world every day.

“The racial divide in the United States is not a problem of the past. It will continue to be our generation’s problem until we are all equal. In order to educate our students about racial topics, we must first be able to teach it in this perspective. Only then will students be able to realize that these events are not just history, but a piece of the world we are still living in,” Tay said. “In terms of discussion, the majority must be the first to ask questions and start the conversation. Minorities can express their problems all they want (and we do), but in the end, they are the minority. The racial divide will never unite itself unless the majority learns to educate themselves.”

Though these occurrences have taken place, Thompson encourages others that there still is time to educate each other and help one another in addressing the issues.

“What can I do? What can we do when there is injustice? Stand up and stand with, nonviolently, those who’ve been hurt. Listen, don’t give answers or excuses. Express our sorrow, and express our valuing of them as individuals,” Thompson said. “I believe that’s what every human being wants and needs after all.”

March 26 community members attended a rally in support of Asian Americans at the City Hall Plaza.