As the COVID-19 crisis unfolds, so does the spike in anti-immigrant rhetoric that often leads to racist attacks, hate incidents, and hate crimes. Many media outlets have reported on this development, such as
The New Yorker,
Huffington Post, and
NBCNews. Asian Americans Advancing Justice created a
page that compiles stories of Asian Americans who are targeted on a daily basis.
Anti-immigrant sentiment has existed in different forms throughout the history of this country, and the scapegoating of specific immigrant groups is a longstanding strategy by anti-immigrant groups that have used their access to the media to expand their reach. Experts also say that this is just the newest chapter in a long history of anti-Asian racism in the U.S. From the times of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. The consistent perceptions of Asian Americans as foreigners that should be blamed for many social problems, very little has changed. Immigrants are in the group of most affected people by the current health and social crisis. Yet, many immigrants play a critical role during the current health crisis. They are doctors, nurses, health care workers and remain employed in the sector of essential services (farm workers, restaurant workers, grocery workers, and truck drivers, to name a few) that keep us all afloat.
According to John C. Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, “The deliberate use of terms like “Chinese virus” has fanned the flames of racism toward Asian Americans in this country.” “We have seen individuals associate the virus with Chinese people as they are assaulting them. It’s outrageous for any elected official to have been dismissive when the evidence of racist attacks continues to climb. Words matter, and they often hold more weight when spoken by our politicians.”
OIR denounces all anti-immigrant bashing and promotes access for all communities during the COVID19 health crisis, in addition to information about immigrant contributions. For a summarized review of immigration history in the US, including exclusion, discrimination, and scapegoating, please check out this
booklet created by OIR.
For more information about the contributions of local Asian, African, and Latino immigrants, see images below.