April 15, 2021
Today I attended an event put on by the Asian American Studies Program called “Anti-Asian Racism After Atlanta: Assessing the Moment” featuring Joey Kim, PhD.; Arun Venugopal; Joe Ponce, PhD.; and Molly Jasina. Doctor Kim spoke about how the media “suddenly” switching to cover anti-Asian hate crimes suggests the false idea that such events are new. They are “built-in to the country’s culture,” she argued. Anti-Asian hate is not new at all and the wide spectrum of Asian stereotypes in the U.S. only add to the hate. Ohio State student Molly Jasina added her experience of being adopted from China into a white family and how she didn’t have meaningful conversations about race until she got to college. Her words really spoke to me since we are similar ages.
This event made me think about my white privilege and how the discrimination the Asian community faces are often downplayed because they are seen as the model minority. I often feel like I am not the right person to talk about anti-racism or current racially-charged events, because I don’t think I have the right words or knowledge for it. Even Dr. Kim acknowledged that marginalized voices, especially queer Asian women, are still silenced, and I don’t want to add to the silencing. Attending events like these allow me to learn about how the people affected by these events feel, while I am learning how to share information while not speaking over others.