Surmounting inter-community Divides

Amy Wang

About the author and the Alliance of Chinese Americans San Diego (ACA) Scholarship: Ms. Amy Wang is a recipient of the ACA Scholarship. She is currently a junior at Westview High School (San Diego, CA). This article is a part of her work within the ACA Scholarship programs. The views and opinions expressed belong solely to the author, and do not represent those of ACA and its members. ACA Scholarships are established to encourage API youth’s involvement and awareness in community events.

The Korean women shot at Dallas hair salon speak out. What the Racist Massacre in Buffalo Stole From One Family. Laguna Woods shooting was a hate crime targeting Taiwanese people, sheriff says. Headline after headline. Whether it has been in Dallas, Buffalo, or Laguna Woods, even during AAPI heritage month, the recent incidents of gun violence across America have been a reminder of the real and devastating impact race continues to have on minority communities. 
​​The recent string of high-profile shootings of Asian Americans has been a stark reminder of the racism that our community still faces. While these events may seem disheartening, now more than ever, it is important to express the idea that regardless of our backgrounds, all of us have the right to safety, and to lives that are free of bigotry. It is also important to remember that while these incidents are tragic, they are not isolated. Racism is a systemic problem that extends far beyond individual acts of hate. In order to create lasting change, we must address the underlying prejudice and discrimination that Asian Americans face on a daily basis. One way to do this is to build solidarity between Asian Americans and other minority groups who also suffer from racism. African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans all share a history of oppression and exploitation at the hands of the majority white population. Acknowledging the existence of racism is not to incite a race war, but to help to bring it into the consciousness of the American psyche. Only when we are able to recognize it, we can begin to act to right the injustice that has plagued our lives and hindered the progress of our society as a whole.
In particular, Asian American and African American communities have a lot in common, including the history of racism that has oppressed and exploited us in the past and continues to do so today. Both African and Asian Americans have suffered a history of manual exploitation, and gross discrimination both historically and into the modern day. Though not necessarily to the same degree of servitude, Asian immigrants were used for hard labor on railroads, while Black Americans were enslaved. Similarly, both communities have historically been both sexualized and simultaneously mocked as undesirable, ostracized and fetishized in one. In the modern day, both communities are often still seen as the perpetual foreigner, with Asians being shown as recent immigrants and Blacks as immigrants from a foreign country. This was the case in the 2016 presidential election, where an Asian American was accused of being a “foreigner” and a “con artist” by one candidate, while Black Americans were called “thugs” and “criminals” by another candidate. In the media, both communities have been caricatured, with Black people being seen as physically stronger and more aggressive, while Asians are seen as meek, submissive, and devious. 
It is no surprise, then, that the two communities have often found themselves in conflict with each other. While discrimination and racism has always taken such similar forms, manifested in parallel veins of oppression, and yet true solidarity has never been quite within reach. However, it is important to remember that we have more in common than that which divides us. We are all minorities in this country, and we suffer from the discrimination and bigotry that comes with that. Historically, both communities have been linked together from a position of shared oppression. For example, the Civil Rights Movement was a Civil Rights Movement for all minorities, including the Asian American community. Often, Black and Asian Americans have been at the forefront of resistance, such as the Black Lives Matter movement led by the African American community in response to police brutality, and the Asian American community’s protests against anti-Asian violence in the wake of the Atlanta shooting.
While we cannot forget our past, it is just as important to celebrate our present. Education and a willingness to be open-minded are important if we are to achieve meaningful progress. There is still so much we can learn from one another. Our diversity is our strength and our unique and shared experiences are worth celebrating. At the same time, we must also acknowledge that racism, bigotry, and violence still exist in our society. As we move beyond AAPI heritage month, we must also recognize the struggles that our community faces, and continue the important work of fighting for equality and justice for all. We must continue to stand in solidarity with one another, and fight for a future in which everyone can feel safe, regardless of the color of their skin.