LibGuides: We Need To Talk : Anti-Asian Racism

Anti-Asian Racism is not just a COVID related matter.

Anti-Asian Racism, is unfortunately not new, and the COVID-19 pandemic is not solely responsible for it. Many have heard 'new' cries of Stop AAPI hate, and have taken them to mean that there is a newly insidious version of racism taking hold, and that is simply not true. Racism is in fact, insidious, terrifying, and in the cases reported over little more than the last year from Asian and Asian-American communities, it is violent, premeditated, and relies on intimidation. Many of these attack have been targeting the defenseless and elderly, though many young people have also begun to speak up about similar experiences.

The recent rash of violence against Asian Americans has prompted U.S. President Joe Biden to sign into law the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. It calls for a point person at the Department of Justice to speed up the review of hate crimes. The legislation also provides grants for training and education against racism.

"The roots of (Anti-Asian) racism include the perpetual stereotype, the perpetual foreigner stereotype that we don't belong, and so to change that narrative, we want to educate people. We want to push for ethnic studies. We want to change the narrative in media. Not everything's a hate crime, but a lot of the discrimination we're facing can be protected through civil action." ~ Russell Jeung, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate

Even with the increase in activism, it is essential that we learn about the long history of Anti-Asian discrimination in America. It is traceable back to the first laborers brought to the West were classified in "Yellow Peril" rhetoric, the Chinese Exclusion Act, Japanese Internment, and so much more. We hope that talking about these issues will allow this to resonate with you in a new way, and help share the perspective of those you know and interact with, who may have been experiencing similar things.

COVID Related Discrimination

Attacks on Asian Americans Spiked by 164% in First Quarter of 2021
Attacks on Asians in 16 of America's largest cities soared by an unprecedented 164% during the first quarter of 2021, continuing a spike that had been sparked by the coronavirus pandemic last year, police data show.
Anti-Asian sentiment in the United States – COVID-19 and history
Asian healthcare workers on the front lines of the pandemic have been subjected to slurs and assaults. Nurses have been spat on, doctors have been told to “go back to f∗∗∗∗∗∗ China”, and care by staff with “Asian appearances” has been refused. While Chinese people are the target, the affect has been felt by those of many Asian ethnicities and nationalities. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic we see not only a rise in anti-Asian sentiment, but also a recapitulation of history.

The Long History of Anti-Asian Racism

The long history of racism against Asian Americans in the U.S
Up until the eve of the COVID-19 crisis, the prevailing narrative about Asian Americans was one of the model minority. The model minority concept, developed during and after World War II, posits that Asian Americans were the ideal immigrants of color to the United States due to their economic success. But in the United States, Asian Americans have long been considered as a threat to a nation that promoted a whites-only immigration policy. They were called a “yellow peril”: unclean and unfit for citizenship in America.
Racism is behind anti-Asian American violence, even when it’s not a hate crime
Over the past year, attacks on Asian Americans have increased more than 150% over the previous year, including the March 16 murders of eight people, including six Asian American women, in Atlanta.
Some of these attacks may be classified as hate crimes. But whether they meet that legal definition or not, they all fit a long history of viewing Asian Americans in particular ways that make discrimination and violence against them more likely.
Why This Wave of Anti-Asian Racism Feels Different
There were 3,800 anti-Asian racist incidents, mostly against women, in past year
There is an intersectional dynamic going on that others may perceive both Asians and women and Asian women as easier targets,says Russel Jeung, professor

Resources to Address Anti-Asian Racism

Standing up to Anti Asian Racism
With increasing reports of attacks on Asians in the U.S., here are some ways you can help respond to racism and build the safe and peaceful communities we all deserve.
Stop AAPI Hate
Our communities stand united against racism. Hate against Asian American Pacific Islander communities has risen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Together, we can stop it. Use forms on this site to report incidents!
American for the Arts RESOURCES TO COMBAT ANTI-ASIAN RACISM
These weekly digests are currently available to Americans for the Arts members via our listservs; if you are a member and want to receive news like this to your inbox, make sure you are signed up.

The Chinese American Experience

Becoming American: The Chinese Experience
What does it mean to become American? What is lost and what is gained in the process? In interviews with historians, descendants, and recent immigrants, this set of powerful Bill Moyers documentaries explores these questions through the dramatic experience of the Chinese in America. Includes Gold Mountain Dreams, Between Two Worlds, and No Turning Back.

Local Organizations that support Asian Americans

Asian Community Resource Center
We help the Las Vegas Asian community by partnering with state and community programs and making sure the community is aware of those services.
Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce
Our goal is to become a major forum and significant economic force in bringing about political, social and economic parity for Nevada’s Asian Pacific American community. The ACC is a conduit of business opportunities and a broker of information and resources for Asian-Pacific American entrepreneurs.
Asian Community Development Council
The mission of the Asian Community Development Council (ACDC) is to improve the general well-being and education of the Asian, Pacific Islander and other ethnic communities in Nevada. The ACDC will promote, foster, champion and advocate for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the greater Nevada community.
Reflections: Las Vegas Asian American & Pacific Islander Oral History Project
is a 3-year, $300,000 oral history project collecting stories from the Asian American & Pacific Islander communities in Las Vegas and Southern Nevada. The Oral History Research Center in the University Libraries will collect at least 175 interviews, each of which will be edited, processed for cataloging, bound and digitized. The AAPI community represents more than 10% of the total population of Clark County, but is currently underrepresented in our region’s historical record.
OCA Las Vegas
The mission of OCA Las Vegas is to provide support and empower Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) to find our voice and identity while making positive changes in the community.Our vision is to become the organization of choice and to create a thriving and engaged community of AAPI leaders for the next generation.

Stories From the Stacks

Two Faces of Exclusion by Lon Kurashige
ISBN: 1469629437
Publication Date: 2016-09-26
From the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to the Immigration Act of 1924 to Japanese American internment during World War II, the United States has a long history of anti-Asian policies. Kurashige explains the rise and fall of exclusionist policies and argues that exclusion-era policies were more than just enactments of racism; they were also catalysts for U.S.-Asian cooperation and the basis for the twenty-first century's tightly integrated Pacific world.
The House on Lemon Street by Mark Howland Rawitsch
ISBN: 9781607321668
Publication Date: 2012-06-15
In 1915, Jukichi and Ken Harada purchased a house on Lemon Street in Riverside, California. Close to their restaurant, church, and children's school. Before the purchase, white neighbors objected because of the Haradas' Japanese ancestry, and the first Japanese American court test of the California Alien Land Law of 1913: The People of California v. Jukichi Harada was the result. Bringing this little-known story to light, The House on Lemon Street details the Haradas' decision to fight for the American dream.
Asian American History and Culture: an Encyclopedia by Huping Ling; Allan W. Austin
ISBN: 131747645X
Publication Date: 2015-03-17
With overview essays and more than 400 A-Z entries, this exhaustive encyclopedia documents the history of Asians in America from earliest contact to the present day. Organized topically by group, with an in-depth overview essay on each group, the encyclopedia examines the myriad ethnic groups and histories that make up the Asian American population in the United States. "Asian American History and Culture" covers the political, social, and cultural history of immigrants from East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Pacific Islands, and their descendants, as well as the social and cultural issues faced by Asian American communities, families, and individuals in contemporary society. In addition to entries on various groups and cultures, the encyclopedia also includes articles on general topics such as parenting and child rearing, assimilation and acculturation, business, education, and literature. More than 100 images round out the set.

Local Podcast About the AAPI Experience

Exit Spring Mountain
Nevada Public Radio debuts Exit Spring Mountain, a 10-episode podcast about Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in Southern Nevada.

We Need To Talk : Anti-Asian Racism

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