Being Asian During the Coronavirus Pandemic: When Racism Spreads Faster than the Virus Itself
Trying to balance myself without holding onto the subway pole, I swayed back and forth with my feet planted firmly. I felt a small tickle at the back of my throat. Oh no, not now. I desperately tried to gulp as powerfully as I could to combat the nagging sensation brewing in my esophagus. I cleared my throat and hoped that no one could hear me through their headphones. Suddenly, my eyes began to water and I let out a cough, pulling the collar of my shirt over my face just in time. My face remained hidden inside my shirt for what felt like five minutes (although it was really five seconds), in an attempt to let the judgement (and my own embarrassment) pass. Like a turtle apprehensively poking its head out of its shell, I emerged from my shirt collar and felt the stares of multiple pairs of eyes zone in on me. One man in particular looked at me with disgust and took one intimidating step towards me — I immediately put my head down and pretended to look through e-mails on my phone. I felt the man’s eyes scan me up and down while I kept my head hung low, knowing that if I were to look up again, we would lock eyes and I would panic. If he starts harassing me — or spits on me — maybe someone will record it, I thought to myself. As the subway doors opened onto the 51st Street platform, I ran out and walked briskly to work without glancing back.
The coronavirus pandemic has been causing rapid damage around the world with a magnitude that was previously unimaginable. It’s cost people their jobs and the self-funded businesses they’ve spent their whole lives building. The most irreversible damage to families has sadly been the casualties — many of which could have been prevented, especially in countries that watched from the sidelines, assuming that COVID-19 couldn’t impact the West to the degree that we’re seeing now.
To add to the collateral damage, the pandemic has brought out racism and xenophobia in some of its ugliest forms within communities all over the world. A lot of things will change once the pandemic is over (and yes, the pandemic will eventually end), and habits formed as a response to the coronavirus outbreak will become the new norm. Some of these habits will yield benefits, like frequent hand-washing, elevated standards of hygienic practices at gyms, and employers encouraging sick workers to stay home. However, racism, bigotry, and ignorance are difficult habits to break — habits with long-lasting impacts even after the pandemic has passed.
Hate crimes against Asians have spiked in the past month, sometimes occurring in cities that are considered to be accepting of immigrants and diverse communities, such as New York and London. The photos and videos of these attacks (and the graphic aftermath) have made their rounds on various social media platforms, in an attempt to bring awareness to these issues. Jonathan Mok, a 23-year-old Singaporean student at the University of London, had his attack go viral (pardon the pun) when he was punched in the face while walking down Oxford Street — one of the busiest areas in London. “I don’t want your coronavirus in my country,” the perpetrator said. Pictures after the attack show Mok’s face swollen and bruised after it had been beaten and bloodied.
On the other side of the pond, the situation isn’t much different in New York City. Earlier this month, a 23-year-old woman was punched in the face in Midtown Manhattan after her attacker yelled, “Where’s your coronavirus mask, you Asian bitch!” The victim was hospitalized with what looked like a painful jaw dislocation. One borough over in Brooklyn, a man harassed an Asian passenger on the subway while spraying Febreze at him. Another video shot in Florida shows a man chasing an elderly Asian woman while squirting hand sanitizer at her. On the West Coast in Washington, 26-year-old Yuanyuan Zhu tried to ignore a man who was yelling at a bus driver to run her over, before he spat in her face. These are the stories we see on the news and on our social media feeds, but they are sadly just a small fraction of the incidents occurring around the world. History has shown that pandemics ignite and intensify discrimination against underrepresented groups, and this time around is no different.
For me, this sad reality doesn’t just live on my phone screen. People within my own circles have also experienced this racially-driven harassment firsthand.
One of my running teammates is a prime example. Minnie Ongsricharoenporn, a Thai citizen residing and working in New York City after graduating from New York University, was the victim of harassment last week. While Minnie was walking to a hair appointment with a friend, a couple on the street started yelling, “Corona! Corona!” While she was initially angry with the racially-targeted interaction she just experienced, Minnie found it in herself to rise above the bigotry. “I knew they were ignorant and I felt sorry for them,” Minnie recalled. She responded to the couple, “You know corona means crown, right? I guess you think I’m a princess,” as she waved and continued to walk away. Even in non-violent altercations, it requires confidence and strength to shake off bad energy. This week, Minnie is moving back to Thailand permanently — a move that was previously planned for this year regardless, but was accelerated due to the exponentially worsening COVID-19 conditions in the United States.
Even within my own workplace, ignorance and racism (although unintentional in nature) took me by surprise.
I quietly hid behind my computer screen as people around me joked about avoiding Chinatown, in fear of being infected. My colleagues, whom I consider to be well-educated and aligned with my values, exposed a side of them (during a particularly sensitive time) that saddened me — and I sat at my desk speechless. Sure, jokes are just jokes until someone gets hurt, and the person hurting in that moment was me. Just like how COVID-19 can infect people without presenting any symptoms, racist sentiments can be spread without the perpetrator realizing that someone close to them is being negatively impacted. The spread of racism ends up paralleling the virus all too well.
This opinion piece would be remiss to not acknowledge that Asians have been struggling to combat racism before this pandemic, as have Black, Latinx, and Middle Eastern communities. Racism is part of everyday reality for people of color. Indigenous people have been fighting (since the beginning of history) to live peacefully on land that is rightfully theirs. For these communities — our communities — this fight has lasted for centuries. Even though it’s 2020, progress towards a fair and equal world is still, at times, a slow-moving needle that sadly sometimes moves backwards rather than forward.
I urge everyone — Asian communities, allies, all of society — to not let this pandemic have long-lasting negative effects. While a lot of what’s happening in the world right now is out of our control, there are actions that individuals can take towards making a greater difference. Call-out ignorant comments, support Asian-owned businesses, and be more than just a bystander. Let’s remember that COVID-19 does not favor or discriminate against any race. Collective resilience, hope, generosity, and kindness are what will get us through to the other side of these challenging times.
And for the sake of everyone around you: stay home and wash your hands.
