The coronavirus is not alone in its spread throughout the world as xenophobia — sinophobia to be specific — and anti-Asian racism follows in its wake. This is especially evident in western countries where crimes motivated by anti-Asian sentiment have seen a meteoric rise with anecdotes that range from microaggressions such as glaring to more direct actions such as verbal taunts and even violent physical attacks.
Yet, this is not the first time anti-Asian racism and violence has occurred in the U.S. as its long, horrid history dates back to the 1850s when large numbers of Chinese immigrants started entering the U.S. and allegedly “came to steal White jobs” which led to the California Supreme Court to pass a ruling that people of Asian descent could not testify against a White person in court. That ruling guaranteed that Whites could escape punishment from anti-Asian violence and reinforced racism against Asian immigrants, setting off the chain of events that were to come.
For example, during the economic downturns in the 1870s, Asian immigrants were used as scapegoats by the American leaders who even went as far as to pass the Chinese exclusion act which banned Chinese immigration for more than 60 years. This act by the American government spawned another horrendous spike in anti-Asian racism.
Another incident worth mentioning is the murder of Vincent Chin, a Chinese American who was beaten with a baseball bat by two White men who blamed him for “the Japanese” taking their auto-industry jobs. But that was not all, instead of being sentenced to 15 years in prison, the judge gave the men probation and a measly $3,000 fine.
This case was recently brought back to light, with #VincentChin resurfacing on Twitter, highlighting how Asian Americans have been treated unfairly over the years as if their existence and struggles were invisible to the majority of the American people.
Moreover, similar to the situation they face now, the Chinese immigrants were also ill-treated when the bubonic plague struck San Francisco during the 1900s.
It was said that the outbreak began with a ship from Australia, but because the first state-side victim was a Chinese immigrant, the city’s Chinatown was put under lockdown and Chinese residents were subjected to forced home searches and property destruction.
Today, anti-Asian hate crimes have seen an increase of 150% in the 16 major U.S. cities according to California State University’s Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has reported that hate crimes motivated by anti-Asian sentiment have jumped by 1900% in New York City. While the Stop AAPI Hate, a hate tracker created by the Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community and other Asian American groups has received and recorded 2,808 reports of anti-Asian discrimination between March 19 and December 31, 2020, with a majority of these crimes targeting the elderly Asian Americans.
Reported anti-Asian hate crimes include the cases of Vicha Ratanapakdee, an 84-year-old Thai immigrant in San Francisco who died after being violently shoved to the ground during his morning walk; an 89-year-old Chinese woman who was slapped and set on fire by two men in Brooklyn; Noel Quintana, a 61-year-old Filipino American who was slashed across the face with a box cutter by a stranger in the New York subway; and the recent killings that included six women of Asian descent that was shrugged off as the suspect “having a bad day” by the investigating officer.
Many attribute the spike in anti-Asian sentiment and hate crimes to former President Donald Trump’s xenophobic rhetoric wherein he repeatedly mentions the pandemic as the “China virus” or the “Kung flu”, blaming China for the deadly coronavirus. At the same time, it is attributed to the scapegoating of the Asian Americans by the ordinary American people who are frustrated by the economic and social impact of the pandemic.
It is a relief that efforts are being made to combat these hate crimes as in the first week of President Joe Biden’s office, he signed a memorandum condemning and combating racism, xenophobia, and intolerance against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. At the same time, California’s congresswoman, Judy Chu, and other lawmakers are also pushing for the US Department of Justice to expand efforts to report, track, and prosecute hate crimes. While local efforts are also being made such as the report of kindhearted and rational Americans standing guard each night outside of an Asian American family’s home in Orange County after they had been harassed for months with little police intervention.
Sadly, the long history of anti-Asian xenophobia that dates back to the 19th and 20th centuries has shaped the perception of Asian Americans as “perpetual foreigners” and that is not going to change anytime soon. The fear and frustration brought by seeing and experiencing the abuses brought about the anti-Asian sentiments can and will greatly impact both the mental and physical health of Asian Americans. Therefore, it is urged that they return home where they are welcome. After all, America is not the place Hollywood movies, songs, and the media depict it to be, and soon enough America will fall.
In the bible, Jesus’ teaching on respecting each other whatever your race or country of birth is shown in the story of His interaction with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well in a town in Samaria called Sychar (John Chapter 4). During this time, Jews and Samaritans are not permitted to communicate with each other. The Samaritans, being a mix of already spiritually corrupt Israelites and pagan foreigners, created a religion for themselves that the Jews considered heresy. To the Jews, a Samaritan was more revolting than a Gentile (pagan); Samaritans were half-breeds who defiled the true religion.
So when Jesus talked with the Samaritan woman, she was beyond shocked that He, a Jew, was communicating with her. We can see that during Jesus’ ministry here on Earth, He constantly interacted with the poor and the outcast. Jesus constantly demonstrated care for those the world had rejected and showed that He didn’t care what the “religious” people thought of Him.
His teaching is that the Gospel is for everyone. It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners (Mark 2:17).
No matter who you are or where you come from, there is Good News through Jesus Christ.
Story by Sophia Chua
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