ean tom | partnerships director
Being punched in the face is not fun, however, it seems as though that is the trend for Asian Americans during this pandemic. It’s hardly debated that Asian Americans have been harassed and hated more than ever, and this is due to societal racism, blaming a whole race based on the actions of a few. Don’t believe me? My siblings can testify to the hatred, my brother minding his business on the train was punched square in the face, leaving a brown bruise, and more unfortunately fear to my family. Moreover, my sister, in my opinion, scarier, was “told to go back to f-ing China,” even though my sister had never been to mainland China in her life. It left my innocent, pure sister unprotected and frightened. I can’t stand to see my younger siblings watch on the news another Asain attacked and killed because of the way they look. I want my siblings to grow up being confident in their ethnicity. Similarly, I will not permit the idea of my grandmother being afraid of walking out the door, because she deserves to be felt like an American just as anyone else. I want Asians to be able to defend themselves and no longer stay on the sidelines because we are strong. Lastly, I want the derogatory term to not be a societal norm anymore but to be expelled. I will not allow people to call me Coronavirus, or Chinky anymore. Therefore, I fight against Asian Hate not just to protect and comfort strangers on the street, but to protect even my family, friends, and myself who have been attacked just as much.
