Chinanews, April 8th, title: To eradicate the "stubborn disease" of racial discrimination, we must "know it" and "correct it"

　　Author Ma Jiajia

　　Recently, the cover of the latest issue of "The New Yorker" has attracted attention. In this picture entitled "Late", an Asian mother is holding her daughter's hand while waiting for the train at the subway station, eagerly looking forward to the subway arrival, her eyes are cautious Looking away, the daughter standing on the side clasped her mother's hand tightly, watching the movement on the other side.

The nervousness of the mother and daughter reveals that they are always worried about their own safety, and also reflects the mental state of the entire Asian American community living in tension and fear.

The creator of this cover, R. Kikuo Johnson, is an Asian American, and this painting on paper is just one of the life epitome of the discrimination suffered by Asian Americans.

　　In the past few days, violence against Asian groups in the United States has intensified. The "Hate and Extremism Research Center" of California State University released a research report in March stating that in 2020, the rate of hate crimes in the 16 largest cities in the United States will drop by 6%. The rate of hate crime among Asians has risen by 145%.

Among them, the number of anti-Asian hate crimes in New York, Los Angeles and Boston ranks in the top three.

　　The US "New York Times" combed through media reports of attacks on Asians in the past year and pointed out that in the past year, in addition to pushing, beating, kicking, spitting, and even being abused and other insults, houses and Enterprises have also been destroyed.

The locations of the attacks ranged from large coastal cities with large Asian populations to sparsely populated small towns, from California to Florida, to Wisconsin, and so on, covering almost every corner of the United States.

The Asians targeted are regardless of age, gender, or class... Violence caused by discrimination has become a common crisis faced by Asian Americans today.

　　The violence against Asian Americans in the United States and the human rights issues caused by it have been condemned by the international community, and it has also triggered widespread anger in the Asian community.

　　In his speech to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, United Nations Secretary-General Guterres specifically named the United States, saying that the frequent violence against Asians in the United States is behind the racism that links the new crown pneumonia with Asia.

When the United Nations Human Rights Council reviewed the United States’ human rights report this year, more than 110 countries criticized the United States’ human rights issues and demanded that the United States effectively resolve its own systemic problems such as racial discrimination.

　　On the 4th of this month, the Asian Rights Defense League organized a rally and demonstration in New York City. About 30,000 Asians took to the streets to protest against recent incidents of racial discrimination against Asians in the United States.

In addition, in Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa and other Canadian cities, as well as in Berlin, Germany, marches and rallies against discrimination against Asians have also been held to express condemnation and opposition to racial discrimination.

　　If the issue of racial discrimination in the United States is a long-standing "congenital" disease, but the sudden increase in violence against Asians in this round of violence cannot ignore the "man-made disaster" factor.

The research report shows that the first wave of hate crimes against Asians occurred in March and April last year. The increase in the number of confirmed cases of new crowns in the United States was positively correlated with “negative stereotypes” against Asians.

In fact, since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, the U.S. government frantically dumped the pot in order to cover up its inability to fight the epidemic. Some political forces and media maliciously hyped the virus and linked the virus to a specific race, fueling the hatred of American society against Asians.

In addition, the active ideology of "white supremacy" and political polarization in the United States have also exacerbated this situation.

Reuters, The New York Times and other media have criticized that the stigmatization of the "Chinese virus" by former US President Trump during the epidemic has contributed to the anti-Asian sentiment.

It is true that for political purposes, some politicians “snap the pot” against Asian groups and use their power to speak irresponsibly to spread hatred irresponsibly, resulting in the rise of racial hatred against Asians.

　　Since the Biden administration came to power, Asian discrimination and the resulting violence have been condemned by mainstream American society.

Since taking office, Biden has made clear statements on many occasions including national television speeches and Chinese New Year greetings, condemning discrimination, xenophobia, and violence against Asian-Pacific Americans.

He signed a memorandum in the first week of his tenure, condemning Asian-Pacific Americans suffering from racial discrimination and xenophobia in the new crown epidemic.

On the basis of this memorandum, the Biden administration also announced that it will add and strengthen functions from the White House, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Health and Human Services to address hate crimes and racial discrimination against Asians.

　　Although Biden has repeatedly stated his opposition to racial discrimination, last month he directly condemned the "systemic racism and white supremacy" of the United States as "ugly poison" and vowed to amend the laws that allow discrimination to exist.

However, in the face of deep-rooted racism, admitting “wrong” is only the first step. For the United States, it must have the courage to face the problem, and more importantly, it must have the determination to solve the problem, know it and change it.

The U.S. government should truly fulfill its commitment to severely crack down on discrimination and hateful violence against minorities, including Asian Americans, and effectively protect the legal rights of minorities, so that minorities no longer live in violence and fear Among.

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