Acknowledging & Combatting Anti-Asian Racism
To all social media users:
Recently, due to the increased media attention towards anti-Asian violence — like with the response to the murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd — social media has seen an influx in anti-racism infographics: what books to read or movies to watch, how to be an ally, what questions to ask, which petitions to sign, etc.
As a young Asian American woman in a predominantly white state and school, though, I have been distancing myself from the news, from social platforms, for emotional self-preservation. Because when I do open up Instagram, I see the same 5 infographics reposted by white people over and over again. I quickly feel annoyed: most people don’t actually read those; they repost them to feel less white guilt. I know because the same thing happened when the BLM movement erupted across the nation this past year. Black people have felt this frustration for a while now.
Of course the media should be paying close attention. Of course I care that people who share my race are getting killed, harmed, harassed, and targeted. And of course I am scared. Still, though, sometimes I don’t need constant reminders that anti-Asian hate crimes happen and that anti-Asian racism exists and thrives. I am not the one that needs the reminder. BIPOC do not need reminders that they are oppressed in America.
The people who really need the reminder, or the wake-up call to start with, are those who are only just realizing that Asians experience racism daily in various degrees; those who believe in the model minority myth; the ones who ignore Asian voices in conversations about diversity and inclusion; those who feel like reposting a headline is enough; anyone who does not consider Asians as people of color; the people who think that including Asians in anti-racism work is “intersectional,” when it’s really just plain old anti-racism.
If you are one of those people (even remotely so), maybe think about why you are reposting an infographic or headline. Identify your motive, your reason for posting. Is it because you want people to know that you know? Do you feel pressure to repost a viral video or image of Asian Americans being targeted? If the answer is “yes” to either of those, you need to take a step back. The approach to anti-racism should not be stimulated by fear but by empathy.
I encourage any person who wants to be an ally to the Asian community, and to the BIPOC community in general, to really examine what they think they are accomplishing in reposting an infographic or headline or picture. Oftentimes I fear that posting is used as a substitute for the real work: anyone can post anything yet remain silent in the real world. But this is not the daily, difficult work: having tough conversations at dinner tables, engaging in self-reflection about unconscious bias, challenging racial stereotypes, reading about the model minority myth, asking questions, advocating for systemic change, standing up for BIPOC — that is real anti-racism.
So maybe tonight, instead of reposting something, you could read an article or watch a TedTalk. Learn something new and substantive so that you can apply it in your life. That is all I ask. Even though I shouldn’t even have to ask.
Peace to you all.
