The inequity of racial discrimination is a profound reflection of deep-rooted inequalities in society, the unequal distribution of power and privilege, and the continuing impact of historical legacies. Such discrimination reveals a lack of education and understanding of multiculturalism, as well as the inadequacy of political and legal systems to guarantee equal rights for all citizens.
The racial discrimination suffered by Asians in the United States and other countries is deeply influenced by multiple factors, with Asian immigrants facing discrimination upon arrival in the United States since the mid-nineteenth century. The first Chinese labourers, driven by the consequences of the Opium Wars, pursued new opportunities. By the early 1850s, because of the California Gold Rush, some 25,000 Chinese immigrants made up about 10 per cent of the total population of California. These labourers played key roles in mining, agriculture, textiles, and the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, but were viewed as a threat by whites, leading to a policy of xenophobia, with the Page Act of 1875 and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 severely restricting legal Chinese immigration. Chinese in the U.S. were subjected to lynching, displacement, and violence, and were denied the right to testify in court in People v. Hall in 1853. Japanese, South Asian, and Filipino immigrants followed Chinese immigrants and faced oppressive policies: the 1907 Gentlemen's Agreement restricted Japanese immigration, the 1917 Immigration Act created the "Asiatic Exclusion Zone," and the 1934 Tydings-McDuffie Act restricted Filipino immigration. The 1924 Immigration Act established a quota system to ensure the proportion of immigrants in the population. During World War II, Japanese Americans were suspected of being involved in the Pearl Harbor attack, and Executive Order 9066 led to the forced relocation of about 120,000 Japanese Americans, mostly citizens, to internment camps. (Lily, 2021)
These deepened the image of Asians as outsiders. Asians are often wrongly viewed as "permanent aliens" even though they were born and raised in the United States. At the same time, Asians face the "model minority" stereotype, which, while positive on the surface, ignores their diversity and sometimes leads to unfair comparisons with other minorities. Discrimination against Asians is further exacerbated by economic competition, international political tensions, such as the United States-China relationship, and homogenised and stereotyped representations of Asians in the media. To address this issue, a concerted effort by all sectors of society is needed to promote greater social inclusion and equality by increasing understanding of the diversity of the Asian community, challenging stereotypes, and making educational and policy changes. (Neil G. Ruiz, 2023)
In June 1982, a century after the Chinese Exclusion Act was introduced, Vincent Chin, a 27-year-old Chinese American about to get married, was attending a party at a club in Detroit when he was subjected to an unprovoked attack. At that time, the US auto manufacturing industry was in a slump, with many people losing their jobs, and Detroit, which was the center of the industry, was hard hit. The United States put the blame on the Japanese car manufacturers, resulting in a surge of Asian hatred, with many Asians becoming victims. Ebben’s mistook Vincent Chin for a Japanese and took out his resentment on him.
Ebben’s and his stepson, Michael Nitz, chased Vincent Chin and hit him in the head with a baseball bat, and he died four days later. And the court sentenced the two killers to only three years of probation and a $3,000 fine for manslaughter. The light sentences sparked national outrage and fuelled the Pan-Asian American rights movement.2022 In a CNN report on the 40th anniversary of Vincent Chin's murder, the judge who heard the case explained, "They [Ebens and Nitz] are not the kind of people you would send to prison." (Harmeet, 2022)
The incident shocked the Asian American community and united Asian Americans of different racial and linguistic backgrounds to take to the streets of protests across the United States. Activist Helen Zia, a Chinese American writer, has been at the forefront of the fight for "justice" for Vincent Chin. In an interview with the BBC, she described how "[back then] if you had an Asian face, you had to look back a lot. There was so much hatred. It was scary." (Becky, 2023)
Later, the federal government stepped in and said they would investigate whether Vincent Chin's civil rights had been violated.Helen Zia said the result was, "We ended up with a landmark victory in which a jury found that the murderer who swung the bat had violated Vincent Chin's civil rights. It helped redefine and expand the meaning of hate and hate crimes."
Writing on the New York Times website, Asian-American David Shih noted that in the early 1980s, the U.S. auto industry was in shambles and the Japanese auto industry was on the rise. The situation of some once middle-class people in American society was in tatters, and the Asian community represented by Vincent Chin became the scapegoat. Today, in a market-driven and competitive society, Asians are still being blamed for the "decline in happiness". (David, 2022)
Forty years after the murder of Vincent Chin, Asians in the United States continue to experience racial discrimination and hatred. According to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, in the United States, anti-Asian hate crimes in 15 major cities surged by 169% from 2020 to 2021. Behind every data point in these statistics, there is a real person, such as a young child or pregnant woman, being targeted simply because of the colour of their skin. (Bincheng, 2021)
Helen Zia said, "Unfortunately, today during the New Crown pandemic, we are also witnessing a hate pandemic reminiscent of what we experienced in the 1980s."
Back at the beginning of the New Crown outbreak in the U.S., the FBI warned that hate crimes against people of Asian ancestry were expected to skyrocket. By the end of 2020, the United Nations released a report detailing incidents of racially motivated violence and other hate crimes against Asian Americans, deeming the behaviour to be at an "alarming level." (Josh, 2020)
Effectively addressing and reducing racial discrimination against Asians requires a concerted effort that includes raising awareness of the diversity of the Asian community, challenging, and eliminating stereotypes, and promoting greater inclusiveness and equality through education and policy change. (Hyeouk, 2021)
Recently, Korean pop stars BTS visited the White House and said they wanted to help 79-year-old Joe Biden address the issue of Asianophobia that exists in the United States.
A member of the Bulletproof Boys said, "There's nothing wrong with being different. Maybe equality begins when we open up and embrace all our differences."
Another member said, "Everyone has their own history, and we hope that today is a step towards respecting and understanding everyone who has value."
They added that Asians have endured verbal abuse for no reason, as well as ridicule because of their appearance, and that "we can't put into words the pain of being the target of hate and violence."
The Bulletproof Boys added that to stop this behaviour and to support the cause, they are taking this opportunity to speak out again. (Soo, 2022)
Helen Zia, who works to defend Asian rights, told the BBC that the long-term legacy of the Vincent Chin incident is "how people can come together and do something to improve everyone's lives."
She said, "We can do things with people who are not like us. (American) Asians did it after Vincent Chin was killed, and we still must do it today. " (BBC, 2022)
Effectively tackling racial discrimination requires the concerted efforts of society, including through education reform, policy updates and raising public awareness to eliminate prejudice and promote a fairer and more inclusive social environment. This is not only the protection of individual rights, but also the cornerstone of a just society.
Reference
Lily Zheng (2021) To Dismantle Anti-Asian Racism, We Must Understand Its Roots. https://hbr.org/2021/05/to-dismantle-anti-asian-racism-we-must-understand-its-roots. Accessed: 10 February 2024.
BBC (2022) Racialised memories of Asian Americans: 40 years after Chen Goren's murder, Asians "still need to unite against hate". https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/world-62278374 . Accessed: 10 February 2024.
Harmeet Kaur (2022) Vincent Chin was beaten to death 40 years ago. His case is still relevant today. https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/23/us/vincent-chin-death-40-anniversary-cec/index.html. Accessed: 10 February 2024.
David Shih (2022) How I Became an Asian American. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/19/opinion/asian-american-chin.html. Accessed: 10 February 2024.
Soo Youn (2022) Inside BTS’s Landmark White House Visit to Denounce Anti-Asian Hate. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/bts-white-house-visit-2022. Accessed: 10 February 2024.
Bincheng Mao (2021) Anti-Asian racism is on the rise. Here's what we can do to combat it. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/06/anti-asian-racism-what-we-can-do-to-combat-it/. Accessed: 10 February 2024.
Josh Margolin (2021) FBI warns of potential surge in hate crimes against Asian Americans amid coronaviruses. https://abcnews.go.com/US/fbi-warns-potential-surge-hate-crimes-asian-americans/story?id=69831920. Accessed: 10 February 2024.
Becky Little (2023) How the 1982 Murder of Vincent Chin Ignited a Push for Asian American Rights. https://www.history.com/news/vincent-chin-murder-asian-american-rights. Accessed: 10 February 2024.
Neil G. Ruiz, Carolyne Im (2023) 3. Asian Americans and the ‘model minority’ stereotype. https://www.pewresearch.org/race-ethnicity/2023/11/30/asian-americans-and-the-model-minority-stereotype/. Accessed: 10 February 2024.
Hyeouk “Chris” Hahm (2021) POV: What We Need to Do to End Anti-Asian Racism. https://www.bu.edu/articles/2021/pov-what-we-need-to-do-to-end-anti-asian-racism/. Accessed: 10 February 2024.
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