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Asians
Where do Asians fit in the movement for Black lives? Rallies, vigils, and marches have ignited across the country as Americans of all colors demand justice for the Black families who have lost their parents, children, or friends at the hands of police. The list of victims has been growing for years: George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Atatiana Jefferson, and countless others. Asians are not immune to racial injustice in this country. From the internment of Japanese citizens, to Vincent Chin’s murderers serving no jail time, to the 1,900 reports of Asian-American discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic— Asian racism is alive and well in the US. Asians can both experience racism and perpetuate racism at the same time. Despite sharing a history of racism with Black Americans, anti-Blackness is unequivocally prevalent in our community. The model minority myth, the
Black Lives explained By Lena Chhay
idea that if minorities work hard enough they can be successful, has caused some Asians to believe that struggling communities of color “deserve” their unequal place in society. These tensions have been exploited to decrease assistance to Southeast Asian, Black, and Latinx communities such as in the cases against affirmative action. How does “Black Lives Matter” and defunding the police relate to Asian lives? Asians are not immune to police brutality nor racial profiling. In the 1970s, police attempted to detain undocumented Chinese-Americans by stopping any Asian person and asking for their immigration paperwork. In January 2020, Mona Wang was having a mental health crisis when a policewoman came to perform a wellness check. Rather than showing empathy and de-escalation, Mona was assaulted, dragged out of her apartment, and stepped on.
People gathered at Aurora’s municipal center in support of justice for Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old who died after an encounter with officers last August. Photo Credit: Lena Chhay
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July 2020 | Feature
Stopping police brutality ends the violence against all people, including Asians. Police accountability means when police attack any person unjustly, they will be fired, charged, and jailed every time. Defunding the police means re-allocating budget from local police to social workers and mental health counselors— people professionally trained in helping, not attacking, those having a mental health crisis. Asian-Americans are less likely to seek professional mental health services than other races; this re-allocation only stands to help Asians. What can you do to help the movement for Black lives? 1. LISTEN. Although this movement will benefit all lives, Black lives have been disproportionately lost due to police brutality. The Black community lives with inequity in health, education, housing, income, and more. Empathize with their hurt, listen to their stories, and give them a platform to speak. Amplify their voices.
