This conversation is for us too: Anti-Blackness in the Asian American community

When the U.S. was still debating the efficacy of facial masks in protecting against COVID-19, I remember begging my mom not to wear one to go grocery shopping. Fear pulsed through my body, as I didn’t want her to receive dirty looks or racial remarks. This constant worry was not uncommon for Asian Americans. In fact, it pushed many of us to speak up about the racism following COVID-19. However, on May 25th, when George Floyd was murdered by white police officer David Chauvin in Minneapolis, the Asian American community was noticeably silent. This included the silence of Tou Thao, Chauvin’s partner who turned his back towards Chauvin as he stifled the life out of Floyd by kneeling on him. Similarly to Chauvin’s disgrace being an act of anti-Blackness, so was Tou Thao’s silence.

Anti-Blackness in the Asian American community can be traced back to the 1860s, when immigrant Asian plantation workers were pitted against African Americans, as plantation owners deemed Asians as “better.” Thus, the model minority myth was born. And let’s not forget Latasha Harlins, a young African American who was shot by an Asian American store owner in Los Angeles in March of 1991.

Black Americans played a pivotal role in helping Asian Americans gain more rights. Black Americans pioneered the Civil Rights Movement, and their courage and resilience led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, and national origin; this helped fuel the Immigration Act of 1965. Thus, we must stand in solidarity with our Black brothers and sisters because without their bravery, we would not even be allowed in this country. Because of Black Americans and their activism, Asian Americans were inspired to speak up.

Nonetheless, the racism and brutality that Black Americans face continue to pervade society. Even today, the discussion regarding affirmative action often involves anti-Blackness in the Asian American community. Specifically, some Asian Americans believe race-based admission disproportionately harms Asian Americans, so they advocate for color-blind admission. This disregards the systematic oppression, and thus institutional racism, that Black Americans face.

Additionally, Asian Americans have appropriated aspects of Black culture without even acknowledging their origins. The popular term “Asian Baby Girl” (commonly abbreviated as “ABG”) was created to imitate African American Vernacular English. We classified aspects of Black culture as “hype,” and thus completely disregarded their cultural value in the Black community. How can we justly be upset about others appropriating our culture when we do the same? The least we can do for taking aspects of Black Americans’ culture is to stand in solidarity with them.

To this day, Asian Americans, especially those of the “model minority,” have benefitted from the oppression of Black Americans. The model minority myth was created by white people to trick Asian Americans into believing they are “above” Black Americans and that Black Americans are the undesirable other. This myth has allowed many light-skinned Asian Americans to succeed at the expense of Black Americans. It has instilled a false sense of “white status” in light-skinned Asian Americans. Our privilege, especially that of light-skinned Asian Americans like myself, should be used to help Black Americans and to fuel change.

Silence like that of Tou Thao only perpetuates anti-Blackness in both the Asian American community and society as a whole. Combatting racism cannot be done in isolation. Only choosing to speak up against anti-Asian racism does not make one an anti-racist.

Black Americans, like us, are people; they should not have to fear getting shot while sleeping like Breonna Taylor, while playing in the park like Tamir Rice, or while walking in their own neighborhood like Ezell Ford; this list only goes on. Our system was built on the oppression of minorities, and especially Black Americans. As minorities ourselves, we must fight to fix this system. Just as white Americans have responsibility to act, so do Asian Americans. This means more than just sharing posts on social media– it means educating, donating, voting, and participating in protests, to name a few. I know many Asian Americans, and other non-Black individuals, may feel uncomfortable having these conversations; however, this discomfort is not an excuse for injustice.