A recent surge in hate crimes targeting the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community has shed light on ongoing xenophobia in America. From putting Japanese Americans in internment camps during World War II to treating all Asian Muslims like “terrorists” after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, the AAPI community has never truly been welcomed into American society.
A major contributor to anti-Asian xenophobia in the United States is anti-Asian propaganda in the news, especially when it comes from authority figures. Due to global affairs between America and many Asian countries, it’s not uncommon to come across news articles stating how North Korea, China and the Middle East are our enemies.
Too many Americans are quick to call criminals of Asian descent “terrorists.” Meanwhile, when speaking on the horrific shootings in Atlanta, Capt. Jay Baker said that the white-American mass murderer was simply having “a really bad day,” during a press conference.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans placed the blame on Chinese people. Adding fuel to the fire, former president Donald Trump would often refer to the virus as “the Chinese virus,” or even “the Kung Flu” on Twitter.
Regardless of if Asian Americans had recently traveled from China or not, so long as they appeared to be Asian, they were deemed guilty by racist Americans. Obviously, the mistakes of a few people cannot be extended to their entire race, and yet many people continue to generalize the AAPI community.
In an interview with Berkeley News, Asian American and Asian Diasporas Studies associate professor Lok Siu stated, “the continual and persistent reinvocation of the deeply ingrained notion that Asian Americans are ‘outsiders’ and therefore (don’t belong) in the U.S., fuels anti-Asian sentiments and attacks during moments of social crisis or disruption.”
Anti-Asian xenophobia in America is finally being recognized by the media and the general public, but there is still much work to be done. A good place to start is on college campuses, which are full of driven, outspoken individuals. For instance, the Geneseo community came together for Geneseo’s AAPI Rally Against Hate on March 23. Our activism cannot stop with this march, though.
Complete awareness of discrimination against the AAPI community needs to be raised. We must begin reflecting on our daily lives and our encounters with people of all races and backgrounds.
Consider the ethnic diversity at SUNY Geneseo. As of fall 2020, less than six percent of full-time Geneseo students are Asian. The percentage of AAPI faculty members is unknown. Why is the percentage of Asian students at Geneseo marginally lower than that of white students? This question can be applied to many common spaces in America.
Now consider what we can do differently to create a welcoming environment for all ethnicities. We need to rid American institutions of the Euro-centric narrative and instead, embrace our diverse array of cultures. In this heightened hostile political climate, now more than ever, it’s important to recognize and dispel patterns of anti-Asian xenophobia.
To begin educating yourself on how to become a better AAPI ally, click here.
To get more involved with the AAPI community in Geneseo, follow these clubs on Instagram: Chinese Culture Club (@cccgeneseo), Shakti: The South Asian Student Association (@shatkigeneseo), Himalayan Student Association (hsa_geneseo_official), Korean American Student Association (@kasa.geneseo) and Japanese Culture Club (@geneseojcc)