Maya Washburn / Staff Writer
Harassment and violence against Asian Americans have increased during the pandemic, according to Stop Asian American and Pacific Islander Hate. The national organization reported over 3,000 hate incidents against the community since the start of the pandemic in 2019.
Following the recent Atlanta spa shootings, FIU held the “I’m Not a Virus” teach-in event on Tuesday, Mar. 30. The panelists included eight activists, scholars and artists who discussed the issue, its history and what can be done to change it.
The panelists, including Asian American comedian Margaret Cho, humanized the issue with personal anecdotes.
“My family experienced so much racism coming to America in 1964 that any discussion of it opens up deep wells of shame, but we have to address it in order to stop it,” said Cho. “It’s uncomfortable, but violence is uncomfortable. Anti-Asian hate crimes are uncomfortable, but they are the unfortunate truth of our time and we have to address it or it’s just going to continue, and it cannot.”
The five-time Grammy and Emmy-nominated actor recommended amplifying underrepresented voices by bringing awareness to communities in addressing the growing issue of anti-Asian hate.
“A way to good allyship is to amplify the voices that you’re hearing and [be] aware that this is happening in our streets every day, everywhere,” said Cho.
Many FIU colleges co-sponsored the event, including the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs, College of Arts, Sciences & Education, College of Communication, Architecture + the Arts, Honors College, Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, College of Law and College of Business.
The discussion was organized by FIU’s Center for the Humanities in an Urban Environment, the Asian Studies Program and the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Mitzi Carter, FIU anthropology and East Asian studies professor, presented an essay on her family’s experience with racism in Okinawa, Japan, and the segregated American south.
Mitzi Carter presents personal reflection essay at “I’m Not A Virus” event.
Carter explained why it is important to share her own story in the modern day, amid the pandemic and at least 20 shootings since Mar. 16.
“I use [my] stories of Black Pacific spaces to show how white supremacy continues to haunt us, how this shapes ideas of murderers like the one in Atlanta and why we all need to do more than just post hashtags,” said Carter. “We need to practice standing in solidarity and the kind of solidarity that costs.”
Mia White, environmental studies professor at The New School, shared how the Atlanta shootings impacted her immediate family.
“The Atlanta murdering spree was enabled by the lie that Asian immigrant women’s bodies are a site for extracting power and authority, a place to workout rage, shame and regret,” said White.
White added her mother told her not to read the news when the shooting was first reported because she shared an exact name with one of the victims who was murdered.
“She wanted to know why it seemed like this country wants her to be dead,” said White. “I listened to the fear in her voice and was reminded that though we see many public statements that express outrage about this latest violent episode in American history, what remains unreckoned with is the extent [of] common beliefs [like] Asian people are pandemic scapegoats.”
Cho recommended steps to guide society away from anti-Asian hate.
“We have to get closer to freedom by telling the truth, reject lies like the model minority and color blindness, understand we participate in race all the time, engage in mutual study and practical problem-solving together,” said Cho.
The myth of the model minority is often applied to Asian Americans and refers to an underrepresented group that is particularly successful, according to Harvard Law School. This idea was explored by Crya Choudhury, FIU law professor.
“The [model minority myth] is a fiction that does a lot of work to obscure the real discrimination that happens against Asians,” said Choudhury. “It does not benefit us to promote ourselves as the model minority.”
She described how the idea of the model minority feeds racial discrimination.
“The myth is being used without any regard to the structural racism that produced [Black, Hispanic and Asian] ongoing subordination,” said Choudhury.
Joanne Li, Dean of FIU’s College of Business, concluded the event with statements in English and her native language, Cantonese. She encouraged attendees to confront issues of racism head on.
“Sometimes, we don’t really talk about it. Perhaps it is so deep-rooted in our culture that we feel embarrassed to even point out that we look different. But today, we can’t run and hide anymore,” said Li. “We must not only acknowledge, but reckon with real changes and actions.”
Li recommended the university should overcome these issues with unity and love.
“We set out on this journey together to be a community of love in which all voices are welcome, [and] it is exactly because we are all different that we make the world interesting,” said Li. “I don’t need to look like you [to] care about you already.”
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