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I don’t normally post these kinds of things. But I was shaken up today. It was a bizarro day. And I believe it’s important to share in a time where we continue to see racial injustice in many forms. Asians in America experience racial stereotyping, taunting,discrimination (1/15)
call it what you want, more often than you might imagine. I am no exception. As I was walking through the airport to catch a flight home, an older man (I will point out he was a man of color for the sake of the story) who was walking past me, stopped, lowered his mask, (2/15)
then said to me “Ni Hao. Ching Chong.” Ni hao means hello in Chinese. “Ching Chong” is a racial slur that has been used to mock us, Asian Americans for many decades. It brought me back to the days at my elementary school playground, (3/15)
where as virtually the only student of Asian descent, I was constantly targeted by the boys who would slant their eyes at me, tease me, and hurl insults such as “Ching Chong China.” Why is this slur still being used today? I was so shocked, it paralyzed me. (4/15)
I just kept walking. But then, the more I thought about it, my flesh got warm and my head started to spin.
I found the man inside the airport terminal, approached him, and told him what he said was racially charged and absolutely inappropriate; and that as a man of color,(5/15)
I found the man inside the airport terminal, approached him, and told him what he said was racially charged and absolutely inappropriate; and that as a man of color,(5/15)
he should have known better than to judge me based on my race. He denied saying anything and walked away. As if that wasn’t enough. Here comes incident number 2. Minutes later, I was sitting with my producer at the gate, when a young man without a mask approached me, (6/15)
and asked me if I spoke English.
I couldn’t believe what was happening! So I responded, “Why would you ASSUME that I don’t speak English?” To which he ignorantly replied, “What language do you speak?” And I said, “Spanish!” (I do speak Spanish btw). (7/15)
I couldn’t believe what was happening! So I responded, “Why would you ASSUME that I don’t speak English?” To which he ignorantly replied, “What language do you speak?” And I said, “Spanish!” (I do speak Spanish btw). (7/15)
Then he started to speak incoherently in what sounded like a fabricated Asian language. I told him to leave, repeatedly. My producer, who was in disbelief over these encounters, also demanded that the stranger leave me alone. He refused and started yelling obscenities. (8/15)
Then, several good samaritans waiting at the gate, watching all this go down, interjected when the guy kept getting close to me without a mask on. They demanded that he stop harassing me while my producer called security. As I sit here writing, I’m still upset (9/15)
but extremely grateful to my producer and the strangers who defended me. And yet, that wasn’t the end. Wait for it. Here comes the 3rd incident! When the airport officer arrived, I described to him what happened. My producer summed it up by saying to the officer (10/15)
“that guy was using racial slurs, and it made us uncomfortable.” Then, unbelievably, the police officer put his face very close to my producer’s, and vehemently disputed his account loudly declaring “That was not racist! Ok? Asking if she speaks English is not racist, ok?(11/15)
Do you understand me?”The officer missed the point.And rather than de-escalating the situation, he intimidated us.The entire premise of the encounter was absolutely racially charged.Why is a stranger getting in my face and asking me if I speak English? Because my face is (12/15)
of East Asian descent, which means I must not belong? I can’t be American. Americans who speak English don’t look like me.Right? WRONG! I’m still shaken and utterly confused as to the sequence of events today.But I wanted to share this because I believe awareness creates (13/15)
understanding, which is the first step to bridging our differences & uniting us through our diversity. This is not the first time I’ve experienced racial stereotyping, racial ignorance, and racism. (14/15)
I hate that I have to say this.
But I belong. We Asian Americans belong. I was born & raised in the U.S. I am as American as apple pie & I am as American as Korean barbecue. I am American. Please don’t question me about that fact. Ever. (15/15)
But I belong. We Asian Americans belong. I was born & raised in the U.S. I am as American as apple pie & I am as American as Korean barbecue. I am American. Please don’t question me about that fact. Ever. (15/15)
