COMMUNITY INITIATIVES ARE RESPONDING TO RISING ATTACKS ON ASIAN AMERICANS

BY CHRISTINE KIM

No large family gatherings. No crowded, lively festivals. No radiant parades. This year’s Lunar New Year was anything but normal.

The already pandemic-altered celebrations for one of the biggest holidays in Asian American culture was met with another layer of misfortune. On January 28, the confrontation was caught on film. In broad daylight, the suspect attacked Vicha Ratanapakee, an 84-year-old Thai man living in San Francisco. Ratanapakee was taken to the hospital for life-threatening injuries and passed away January 30.

It was not an isolated incident. In Oakland, a 91-year-old Asian man was pushed violently to the ground; in New York, a Filipino man’s face was slashed on a subway; and in San Jose, an elderly Asian woman was mugged in broad daylight. As the weeks surrounding Lunar New Year came closer, the frequency and severity of these blatant attacks increased.

Community leaders say the wave of anti-Asian violence and harassment was spurred earlier in the pandemic by the rhetoric of former President Trump, who insisted on calling the coronavirus “the China virus” or “kung flu” on national television.

Stop AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) Hate, a self-reporting website, received 1,497 reports within the first four weeks of its launch on March 19, 2020. Russell Jeung, the chair of Asian American Studies Department at San Francisco State University and one of the leaders of Stop AAPI Hate, pointed out that according to the data the elders were disproportionately targeted, as were women compared to men.

“I think there's a reason beyond racism and uptick in trends why this issue is getting attention. I actually attribute it to Asian Americans rallying attention to the issue,” Dr. Jeung said. “Our voices are being heard because we’re raising our voices.”

The increased mobilization of the Asian American community is showing signs of progress. President Biden responded to the anti-Asian harassment in his executive memo during his Lunar New Year greeting, denouncing anti-Asian racism. Yet, there is still a need for racial healing.

“It’s fury inducing, it’s rage inducing,” said Sahra Nguyen, founder of Nguyen Coffee Supply. “It’s a whole other level when we’re seeing elderly Asian Americans being attacked. It’s still the same form of racism that plays out in these scenarios, but it hits differently. Maybe it’s because they remind me of my parents—they’re particularly vulnerable.”

Nguyen is a first-generation Vietnamese American celebrated for her business being the first Vietnamese American-owned importer and roaster of green coffee beans from Vietnam to the United States. According to their website, Nguyen Coffee Supply is “expanding third-wave coffee culture by celebrating diversity in the coffee community, offering ethically sourced organic beans, and championing the people behind the world’s second largest coffee production.”

Through her personal social media as well as her business platforms, she has spoken out against the injustice and systematic racism that Asian Americans have been facing. Having grown up in Boston with her immigrant parents, she experienced racism similar to other children of color.

“People boxing me into the ‘model minority,’ gawking at our food, or over all reacting to my family and me as inferior,” Nguyen recalled about her past experiences.

After the recent attacks on the Asian American elders, activism in the Asian American community has been on the rise—silence is no longer an option.

Times, however, are changing. After the recent attacks on the Asian American elders, activism in the Asian American community has been on the rise—silence is no longer an option.

Nguyen joined 22 other Asian-owned food businesses in New York for the #EnoughisEnough initiative to donate free meals to those in need including Asian elders, underserved Black and Latino homeless shelters, and those struggling with food insecurities during the pandemic.

Each donor to the campaign received a link to participate in the chef-led Kitchen Rodeo  three-hour-long virtual cooking class called “Lunar Banquet for Uncle Vicha” hosted on February 22. The initial goal for the fundraiser was to raise $25,000. The fundraiser has now surpassed $73,000. According to the campaign, all donations beyond their goal will be donated to charities including: Heart of Dinner, Send Chinatown Love, and Welcome to Chinatown.

#EnoughisEnough is not the only activism group galvanizing their communities to bring more awareness and support local businesses. In response to the rise in hate crimes against Asian American communities due to the pandemic, Hate is a Virus has been one of the leading grassroots movements since April 2020. Over the past year, the non-profit has raised over $50,000 to help local businesses and organizations through virtual educational events called Raise A Million. They also share informative infographics to bring awareness and spark forward-thinking conversations.

“A lot of people are realizing we really need to be focusing on the community organizers and grassroots organizations that are already doing the work,” said Sam Hyun, the community manager of Hate is a Virus and chairperson of Asian American Commission. “People are not just being awakened; they’re being mobilized.”

There has also been increased media attention. Celebrities like Daniel Dae Kim, Daniel Wu, and Amanda Nguyen are speaking out about the injustice. More people are including themselves in the conversation. Despite the intensifying noise, grassroots organizations like Hate is a Virus and #EnoughisEnough prioritize their core value to speak up for everyone instead of promoting division. It’s going to take the collective communal effort to create change.

“We all have a social responsibility to contribute to shape the world we want to live in. We’re all interconnected,” Nguyen said.

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Christine Kim is a graduate student at USC Annenberg pursuing her Master of Science in Journalism. She is participating in a foreign affairs reporting class taught by Professor Phil Seib, a collaboration between the Pacific Council and the Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism.

The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Pacific Council.