From ‘model minority’ to targets of hate

I have been especially disturbed recently about reports of hate crimes directed toward Asians on the rise. Asian Americans have appeared on the Denver news expressing real fear in the wake of the Atlanta shooting.

I am not completely surprised by this, because as Vice President Kamala Harris pointed out (whether she meant to or not) President Trump himself stoked the anti-Asian embers. She said the hate came from “the biggest pulpits.”

Vice President Harris said during a press conference in Atlanta that “people in power had been ‘scapegoating Asian Americans,’ an apparent reference to Donald Trump,” Fox News reported.

"For the last year, we’ve had people in incredible positions of power scapegoating Asian Americans. People with the biggest pulpits spreading this kind of hate.

"Ultimately, this is about who we are as a nation. This is about how we treat people with dignity and respect."

Vice President Harris is right.

Anti-China diatribe proves disparaging, contagious

When Trump launched a verbal attack on China over the coronavirus, I doubt he gave much thought as to how Americans would translate that sentiment toward the Asians next door.

I must admit that Trump in the past has said a few things critical of China that has stirred my patriotism. But when I caught myself thinking critically of Asian Americans, I had to check myself.

And I did check myself.

For a short time, I did feel some animosity toward Asian Americans during the height of Trump’s anti-China sentiment. It is very embarrassing to admit, but if I felt that way, surely others did, too.

I considered it patriotism. But it was ignorance.

In fact, Asian Americans were known as the “model minority” in American culture prior to the Trump-led remarks.

Never have Chinese Americans been targeted so much in recent history for their homeland’s political views. In the past, ignorance toward Asian Americans manifested itself in more innocuous things such as insults over their accents. But you never heard about direct threats of physical violence.

The truth is Asian Americans are called the “model minority” because of their perceived genius. Education is highly valued in Asian culture.

Chinese American the smartest girl in the class

When I was in kindergarten in Illinois, we had one Asian girl in the class, a Chinese American. She was the smartest, nicest, and most popular girl in the class.

Her father worked for the government on the military installation in my hometown. He eventually was transferred.

In later years, I had an Asian American girlfriend. That would have been the 1980s. I never received any criticism for dating the Taiwanese cheerleader. In fact, many people were jealous.

My point is that the attack on Asian Americans is rooted in such ignorance it’s embarrassing to admit it is happening. Asian Americans, statistics show, add a lot to our country.

Many would argue they add more to it than they take from it. Asian Americans tend to be successful in business. For that and many years they have been known as “the model minority.”

If you’re wondering where I learned all this information about Asian Americans, I took a class at Augustana College in Illinois called American Ethnic Minorities. We had an entire unit on Asian Americans. I enjoyed the class with Dr. Marsha Smith very much and remember it vividly.

Denver woman expresses fear

On Thursday, Asian Americans in Denver held a virtual town hall meeting. One woman said her parents own a salon, just like the Atlanta victims did. She fears for their safety now.

According to KDVR news, Denver police have beefed up patrols in Asian American communities.

“Bias-motivated crimes against Asian Americans are on the rise, according to new data released by the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center,” KDVR reported. “That report showed roughly 3,800 racist incidents have been reported since the pandemic began, including 44 incidents in Colorado.”

As for bias-motivated crimes in Denver, only three crimes were reported against Asians in the city last year, according to KDVR.

“Reporting is just culturally something we’re not comfortable doing,” Joie Ha of Denver told KDVR. “Some of it is from shame, a lot of it is from fear.”

I, for one, plan to remind everyone that Asian-Americans represent some of the best success stories in this country. They and all our ethnic minorities should be admired for their courage in an imperfect America.