Confronting Racism Special Section
CONFRONTING ANTI-ASIAN HATE AND VIOLENCE “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” – Maya Angelou
Michelle Leung, MS3 and Joseph Woo, MD
Dr. Woo and I are having a “bad day”. Not so much that we’d perpetrate a senseless, xenophobic, and misogynistic act of violence… but we’re still quite peeved. After all, the world has changed. Just a little over a year ago, there was no such thing as “Kung-Flu” and we weren’t attending rallies to “Stop AAPI Hate”. We were focused firmly on our hospitals, clinics or studies, largely unaware of the undercurrent of anti-Asian sentiment that’s now sweeping the nation. While racism against Asian American Pacific Islander populations has always existed, this year’s surge was provoked by rhetoric and fear of the pandemic in the setting of tremendous social turmoil, according to SF State Professor of Asian American studies Russell Jeung. Dr. Jeung said, “The seeming increase is a function of both awareness as well as incidence.” Perhaps we were actually a part of the problem, placidly content to play the part of the “model minority”: silent, well behaved, hard working. Did you know that ¼ of all Asian American have experienced a hate incident? More curiously, greater than 2/3 have been asked “where are you really from?” (Survey Monkey/AAPI data poll). Different cultures experience different forms of racism and it seems that Asians have the misfortune of being perpetual foreigners. Perhaps this is a wake-up call for all of us as so many of our colleagues have asked us, what can doctors do to change the narrative? Physicians play a critical role in identifying victims of hate crimes and connecting them to resources. These include organizations such as Stop AAPI Hate, which keeps track of data and serves as a place where incidents can be reported, especially when victims fear calling the police. Cynthia Choi, co-director of Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) — said that prior to the pandemic, incidents of assault reported through the site were relatively minor. Now, the kinds of events reported in the media are “traumatizing.” In San Francisco alone, there have been sexual assaults, beatings, hospitalizations and deaths. Her organization has logged record numbers of harassment and 12
SAN FRANCISCO MARIN MEDICINE APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2021
discriminatory acts. Moreover, from March 19 through Dec 2020, Stop AAPI Hate documented 3,795 incidents, largely discriminatory treatment, verbal harassment, physical assault, or civil rights violations. Silence is complicity. We must continue to raise awareness and speak out against divisive rhetoric. Terms like “China virus” should not become part of our current vernacular. Further, let’s embrace and learn from our shared American history. The murder of Vincent Chin in Detroit, Japanese internment, and the Chinese Exclusion Act are just a few examples of times that rhetoric has led to the assignment of blame and encouraged misdirected anger. Recently, the many acts of violence and verbal abuse against all peoples of color reinforce this point. While we’re at it, let’s move away from stereotypes and improve cultural education. When we humanize and appreciate our common experiences, it becomes increasingly difficult to generalize and incite hatred. And solidarity is our strength. Professor Jeung calls on physicians to stand together with their colleagues of color. He supports healing rallies like those already held in San Francisco and Oakland, to recognize communities of color who are traumatized by crimes, and that together need to be healed. There is good anecdotal evidence that racial solidarity is effective — but not vigilante patrols that can easily fall victim to racial profiling. Rather, according to Jeung, he prefers multiracial community ambassadors who “walk around and just greet and welcome people”. Not only do these ambassadors lower crime peacefully, they reduce the animosity between groups which targets the foundations of tensions between communities. Members have included formerly incarcerated Asian Americans who are paid to walk around and give directions, help unhoused, organize street cleanups, and work towards a common goal of safety. This concept saves so much more money than paying for police to patrol the same streets. Let’s support their sponsoring groups like Asian Health Services in Oakland and the Community Youth Center in San Francisco. WWW.SFMMS.ORG
