Minnesota Asian Pacific Caucus photo
It’s a comment I’ve seen frequently on social media: racism against Asian Americans is worse in larger cities such as New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Is that true, or is it just because those cities are larger media centers and thus we’re more likely to hear about it?
Two recent reports indicate acts of anti-Asian hate are felt by Asian Americans throughout the country.
In Minnesota, five elected officials with the Minnesota Asian Pacific Caucus recently released a joint statement bringing attention to this issue.
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“Since the beginning of the pandemic, the House hasn’t come up with an official statement of solidarity with the Asian community here in Minnesota,” Representative Samantha Vang (DFL–Brooklyn Center) said in an interview with the Sahan Journal.
Vang says its important that the community know “that we’re with them.”
The Caucus pointed to a racist note received by one Asian American woman and an elderly Asian woman kicked in the face while waiting at a light rail stop.
The MAP Caucus worked with the State Department of Human Rights on a hotline to report such incidents which they say have become increasingly violent. That number is 1-833-454-0148.
The University of Montana has chronicled a number of incidents of aggession directed at Asians, even faculty members.
“With fear, I have put extra effort to minimize my Asian look. When my family and I are in public spaces, such as having a walk in the neighborhood, we wear hats or hoods and minimize talking in our native language,” said one faculty member to the Missoula Current.
Deena Mansour of the University of Montana’s Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center says people assume racism doesn’t exist in Montana, and that’s not true.
“People are feeling that others are suspicious of them. They are treated as other, as someone that is not welcome,” she said.
Both those in Minnesota and Montana blame comments made by President Trump about the “China Virus and “kung flu” for giving people a license to harass Asians.
“This is empowering people to be more racist, to be more outwardly verbal with their racism. They are feeling empowered to say these things out loud because of that rhetoric being tolerated at the highest levels of our society,” Mansour said.
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