Chinanews.com, Beijing, May 4th, title: The United States, welcoming the "Asia Pacific Tradition Month", still cannot give Asians safety and peace of mind

  Chinanews reporter Wu Kan

  May is the United States’ "Asia-Pacific Tradition Month". This celebration month was established by the US government in 1992. The original intention was to thank Asians for their contributions to the country and to enhance mutual understanding among ethnic groups.

At the moment, Asian Americans cannot enjoy the glory that this identity brings, and the intensification of racial discrimination and hate crimes makes them experiencing pain and fear.

  A survey recently released by the Pew Research Center in the United States shows that nearly one-third of Asians in the United States are worried about being threatened or attacked because of race.

Since the outbreak, incidents of verbal abuse, assaults, beatings, and shootings of Asians have continued to occur. Women and the elderly are more likely to be targeted. Uneasy and fearful emotions have spread in the Asian community. A series of massage parlors in Atlanta occurred in March. The shooting has pushed this sentiment to the climax.

On April 25, local time, members of the “Public Safety Patrol” spontaneously established by the Asian community in Flushing, New York, United States, and some people conducted defensive training at the community center to improve security capabilities.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan

  "We began to be afraid of staying in shopping malls and supermarkets for too long, afraid of strange vision and unprovoked attacks, afraid of our children being harmed..." An Asian citizen posted this message on the Internet.

The current pervasive racial discrimination has seriously affected the daily lives of Asian Americans. The chronic disease of racial discrimination is difficult to eliminate, and its destructiveness and influence cannot be eliminated in a short period of time.

  Racial discrimination for Asians is not a new issue in the United States. Looking back at the history of American immigration, Asian groups have suffered from racial prejudice and racial violence.

Take the Chinese Exclusion Act as an example. Since the mid-nineteenth century, the number of Chinese immigrants in the United States has greatly increased. They built railroads in the United States and contributed to the development of the western region.

But with the recession of the American economy, whites believed that the Chinese had robbed them of their jobs and set off a wave of anti-Chinese in society.

In 1882, the U.S. Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, making Chinese exclusion a nationwide legal act, and the lives of Chinese people in the United States are struggling.

The bill was not repealed until 1943.

  78 years after its repeal, the shadow of the "Chinese Exclusion Act" still hangs over the land of the United States.

Even though the social status of Asians in the United States has improved a lot, the stereotype of Asians has always existed.

Under the epidemic, improper remarks by some politicians, coupled with distorted reports by some media, have brought a new wave of racial discrimination to its peak. Asians once again become scapegoats and bear the brunt of harm.

On April 4, local time, New York held an anti-hate Asian parade. After tens of thousands of people gathered in Foley Square in Manhattan holding slogans, they marched across the Brooklyn Bridge to Cadman Square in Brooklyn.

The picture shows the protesters gathering at Forli Square.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan

  US President Biden recently stated in the "2021 Asia-Pacific American Tradition Month Declaration", "The American Dream is still out of reach for many Asian-Pacific American families. The Asian-Pacific American community is in economic, health, education, and personal safety. Systematic injustices are still being faced in other aspects."

  In the face of racial discrimination, Asian people have been committed to defending their rights.

During the period of the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Chinese tried to use whether the Chinese Exclusion Act was constitutional as a breakthrough point to bring a lawsuit to the court, hoping that the court would uphold justice.

Nowadays, the way for Asian people to defend their rights is more effective and diversified. After the Atlanta shooting, Asian people turned fear and anger into action, and made their own voices through demonstrations, protest petitions, media propaganda, and police-civilian cooperation. The Asian community is safe.

  There has also been significant progress in anti-hate Asian legislation. On April 22, local time, the U.S. Senate voted to pass a bill aimed at addressing Asian hate crimes-the "New Crown Hate Crimes Act."

In addition, the Biden administration will also add and strengthen functions from the White House, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Health and Human Services, and respond to anti-Asian hate crimes through cross-departmental coordination and strengthening of law enforcement.

  However, healing the wounds of racism is not an easy task. It requires efforts at all levels of society and requires different ethnic groups to unite to fight prejudice and hatred.

Although the "Asia-Pacific Tradition Month" has been established for nearly 30 years, its original intention has not yet been realized. Asians still cannot get security and peace of mind on this land, and there is still a long way to go to get rid of the predicament of survival and life.

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