CTA: Time to combat AAPI hate
I am a Filipino-American, born and raised in Chicago and the suburbs. My parents are immigrants from the Philippines who came to America 50 years ago. My mother was the first one in the country, working as a scientist in Nuclear Medicine, living in Philadelphia with college friends as a young, single woman. She moved to Chicago after a few years for another career opportunity, and eventually earned a Master’s Degree in Chemistry from The Chicago Medical School. My father, an Accountant, joined my mom after their wedding to pursue finance opportunities at local firms. They were a typical couple reaching for the American dream, just as all individuals who come to the U.S. share the same goal. The Philippines is globally recognized as one of the largest English-speaking nations, and speaking and writing proficient English is mandatory in their school system. Although they were armed with a good career and communication skills to be successful in the U.S., my educated parents still experienced racial injustices as professionals.
As an Asian-American, I’ve heard it all. “You don’t belong here”, “Go back to your country”, “We don’t need your ‘kind’ here”, are the common phrases that racist people say to those from a different ethnic background living in the U.S.. Sometimes they resort to derogatory name-calling and physical assaults such as spitting, pushing or hitting. Sadly, my son, relatives, and I have been recipients of those “free speech” messages at one point in our lives and trust me – it’s not fun. Other times it’s the microaggression tactics that are used to question the intent – was that statement racist, or was the recipient just being overly-sensitive?
A lot of Asian-Americans are struggling today, and sadly, still figuring out how to handle that behavior when it happens. I personally struggled with it, especially when my son was verbally attacked with a racial slur at a high school baseball game three years ago. I went into Mama Bear mode and tried to advocate for my son by speaking to the appropriate authorities, but months went by without any resolution – no apologies to my son, and no word of disciplinary action given to the young man that said those words to him, no matter how much my son or I followed up. Do I raise stinking hell to get people to listen and do the right thing? Socially, I had to think about the risk being ‘that’ mom and cause more issues for my son. For him, it took all his mental energy not to fight back physically and risk being suspended from the team or school. The biggest challenge we faced was deciding when we needed to step back and accept when the judicial system failed us. As his mom, I was heartbroken and had no comforting words to offer.
In reading and listening to statements as a result of the recent racially motivated attacks on Asian-Americans, many of them women and the elderly, it breaks my heart that a lot of citizens experience this on a regular basis. Anxiety now has been elevated to a more extreme degree as a result of the pandemic. The Stop AAPI Hate organization (www.stopaapihate.org) recently stated that since the COVID-19 pandemic started, there have been at least 3,795 hate incidents reported (503 incidents reported in 2021 alone so far) with the elderly and women being the biggest targets. What should we do in a situation where we are personally targeted? Do we sacrifice making a scene to fight for what we believe in and possibly be recorded and posted on social media, or do we simply make a statement and walk away from the situation knowing that those statements are not true? What happens if we can’t de-escalate the situation? How do we talk to our kids about this? I recently attended a Zoom call with participants from different parts of the country, hosted by my cousin Jenny, to discuss these questions. It was an enlightening call, and I personally needed it to process my feelings about the situation.
What can you do to support your fellow Asian-American colleagues, friends, spouses, children, the women and elderly in the community? I’d like to share some ideas that were discussed:
Get Educated: Every race in the U.S. has so much to offer. Learn and have an open mind. Seek to understand the racism that people from different ethnic backgrounds experience and don’t interact or judge based on stereotypes. “Be informed of what’s happening through different voices and lenses “(Amanda from San Diego). Participate in Diversity and Inclusion discussions in the workplace and community. Talk about it with your family and friends.
Defend, Support and Report: My son was fortunate to have supportive baseball teammates that ‘went up to bat’ for him as they witnessed the interaction first-hand and supported him throughout the ordeal. Let’s defend each other and do the right thing by calling out racism for what it is when it happens and stop gaslighting.
Unify: Socially or in the workplace, foster a culture of unity, and lead by example.
Ethnic diversity shines in my family. My married surname is French, although there is no record of its origin from my husband’s family. My maiden name is Spanish-derived, which can probably tie back to the Spanish Inquisition of the Philippines. One of my brothers-in-law is Puerto Rican, another one Caucasian. I also have a Chinese cousin, Guatemalan niece, and Caucasian cousins and uncles. I affectionately call my family the United Nations, because although we come from different ethnicities, we are unified into one family. My husband, son and I are extremely blessed to have a circle of non-Asian work colleagues, friends and neighbors who accept us as equals and respect us for who we are as individuals. I am also grateful to work for a company whose leadership fully supports Diversity and Inclusion. I’m proud to have a CEO that acknowledged the hurt that Asian-Americans are feeling and is an ambassador of unity in the workplace. All the ethnicities that make up America is what makes the country what it is. Let’s stop the racial hate, stop the noise, embrace and celebrate diversity. Most importantly, let’s work together toward a nation undivided.
Are you doing your part to combat racism?
-Gail
