Addressing Anti-Asian Scapegoating
The spread of COVID-19 has contributed to reported and documented cases of race-based
scapegoating throughout the U.S. Our own college district in February 2020 asked FHDA
employees to ward against racial prejudice and discrimination:
Letter to FHDA employees from Chancellor Judy Miner, 28 February 2020:
"I join Dr. Sara Cody, the Santa Clara County’s health officer, in urging us all to
resist discrimination and prejudice. Although the outbreak began in mainland China,
people of Asian descent are not more likely to have the virus, Dr. Cody reports...
It is important for all of us to stay informed about this situation so we can take
care of ourselves and others. Updated information from the Santa Clara County health
department is available here..."
The following are some resources for learning about anti-Asian acts of aggression
and violence, and addressing race-based scapegoating individually and collectively.
Report a Hate Crime or Intervene as a Bystander
Data Reports on Anti-Asian Verbal Harassment and Physical Assaults
News Sources and Op-Ed's on Anti-Asian Acts of Aggression and Violence
- "Coronavirus reminds Asian Americans like me that our belonging is conditional," John Cho, Op-Ed, Los Angeles Times, April 22, 2020
- "Asian Americans Report Rise in Racist Attacks Amid Pandemic," PBS NewsHour, April 1, 2020 - 6-minute video presenting information of spread of anti-Asian attacks and interview with Cynthia
Choi, co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action of San Francisco.
- "When Xenophobia Spreads Like A Virus," National Public Radio's Code Switch, 4 March 2020 - article on prevalence of anti-Asian hostility and attacks across the U.S. and in other countries,
and 25-minute podcast with historian Prof. Erika Lee on the prevalence of anti-Asian scapegoating today and in U.S. history
- "How to contain the virus of racism during coronavirus outbreak," Sherry Wang. Op-Ed, San Fancisco Chronicle, 12 February 2020 - personal strategies for handling micro-aggression,
verbal assaults, and hostility
- "Spit On, Yelled At, Attacked: Chinese Americans Fear Their Safety," New York Times, 23 March 2020 - news article describing widespread nature of anti-Asian hate and harassment and President's use
of anti-Asian scapegoating language
Historical Context for Anti-Immigrant and Anti-Asian Scapegoating
- "The long history of US racism against Asian Americans, from ‘yellow peril’ to ‘model
minority’ to the ‘Chinese virus,’" Adrian De Leon, April 8, 2020 - article written by a scholar for a general readership
- "America or Americans," Prof. Erika Lee, Town Hall Seattle, December 10, 2019 - an extended recorded lecture, 1.5 hours, on the history of xenophobia in the U.S.
- "Our History of Blaming Immigrants for Disease," Robert A. Stribley, Medium, April 12, 2019 - a 9-minute blog post on the history of blaming newcomers for spreading illnesses in the U.S.
- "Chinese as Medical Scapegoats, 1875-1905," Joan B. Trauner - a historical essay from California History Magazine, 1978.
Racial Disparities with Pandemic
- "Black Americans Face Alarming Rates of Coronavirus Infection in Some States," John Eligon, Audra D. S. Burch, Dionne Searcey and Richard A. Oppel Jr., New York Times, April 7, 2020.
- "Outcry Over Racial Data Grows as Virus Slams Black Americans," Associated Press, New York Times, April 8, 2020.
- "Race Forward Statement on the Coronavirus Emergency, Official Response and Its Impacts
on Communities of Color" - official statement by advocacy alliance for racial equity and justice
Resources for Teaching about Coronavirus Racism
- "Treating Yellow Peril," Jason Oliver Chang (twitter @chinotronic), Associate Professor of History and Asian American Studies at the University of
Connecticut - a shared document of resources
- "Scholars v. COVID-19 Racism," Elizabeth Redden, Inside Higher Ed, April 2, 2020 - article spotlighting what academics are doing inside and outside
the classroom
- "Asian-American studies, more vital than ever: Coronavirus is a moment we should be
learning," Vivian Louie, New York Daily News, May 19, 2020 - op-ed
Events
- October 7, 2020: Does a New Wave of Anti-Asian American Racism Require New Ways of Fighting Back? Wednesday, at 3 PM PDT/12 PM HST/6 PM EST. A Zócalo/Daniel K. Inouye Institute. Be
sure to register. Recording of presentation.
- October 6, 2020: What's happening in our schools? Anti-Asian Backlash in the Age of Covid. Tuesday, October 6, 7-8:15 PM. San Jose Nikkei Resisters. Be sure to register. Recording of presentation.
- October 5, 2020: Timeless Echoes: Jewish, Chinese, and African American Histories. Monday, October 5, 3-4 PM (PST). 1882 Foundation. Be sure to register.
