The President has publicly referred to COVID-19 as the "Chinese virus" and blamed China for the global impact of the disease. Yes, this is a big deal. Not only does it ignore the American government's inability to act quickly to prevent the spread of the virus in the States, but it scapegoats anyone who could be racially profiled as Asian. During times of fear, it is the scapegoats who are targeted.
My family and I have been screamed, sneezed, and coughed at from passing cars. We are socially distancing. We aren't showing symptoms (not that this would be an excuse). The car occupants don't do it to anyone else around us who are taking walks for some fresh air, just like us. There is no question: it is because we are Asians. We don't even have a chance to react because they simply drive away. Asian folks, Asian American folks, and Pacific Islander folks have been experiencing cowardly microaggressions like this from the moment that news of the virus surfaced. Some have even had to endure violence, including the Asian American 2 year old and her family who were brutally stabbed in Texas.
We have unfortunately seen this all before during the time of Yellow Peril, the xenophobic, white supremacist ideology that depicts Asian bodies as unclean, primitive, and dangerous. We have seen this racist mentality historically lead to REAL HARM.
The Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council has a site for reporting incidents at the following link: http://www.asianpacificpolicyandplanningcouncil.org/stop-aapi-hate/ It is crucial at this time to report incidents of Anti Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander racism for the sake of public safety. Please report racist incidents you see. Please help stop AAPI hate.
Best,
justajae