Not Just a Pandemic

Submitted by a student from UC Berkeley

COVID-19, like many previous nationwide crises, is not just a pandemic but a reckoning that has exposed the inequities and hatred that run deep in the veins of our country. While I, fortunately, have not experienced any drastic losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus itself as well as the shift in political climate that it facilitated has generated palpable fear and tension within both my immediate family and my community that still exists today. Most notably, the media's role in propagandizing the virus as a "Chinese virus" has led to an unprecedented rise in anti-Asian sentiments and, more concerningly, hate crimes against all Asian communities--not just Chinese Americans. During this past spring semester, I vividly remember waking up in the morning and checking my social media feed only to see frequent--almost daily--news articles reporting yet another hate crime incident. At the time, I was attending a predominantly white college in the predominantly white city of Portland, OR. The barrage of news combined with the feeling of being one of the few Asian Americans in my college community not only took a toll on my mental and physical health but also instilled within me a kind of fear and anxiety that I had never experienced before.

I was born and raised in the San Gabriel Valley of California, in a suburb comprised primarily of East Asian immigrants including my family. Thus, growing up, I was incredibly fortunate to be around a community that not only accepted me but shared similar if not identical cultures. Though I do recall incidents of microaggressions (i.e. the white teacher consistently pronouncing my last name wrong despite being told how to pronounce it), they were far and few in between and never escalated to a point where I felt physically fearful for my safety. Growing up in such a bubble meant that while I was fortunate enough to establish strong ties to my cultural roots and community, it has also sheltered me from experiencing how Asian Americans are regarded outside of such ethnic enclaves. When I moved to Portland for college, the change in environment was drastic. My school was a liberal arts college, and thus only had about 1,400 students. Over half of that student population was white. While I was used to being around those from the same ethnic and racial background as me back home, I was a minority now--one of few. Thus, when COVID hit along with all of its subsequent developments, it exacerbated the isolation and uneasiness that I already felt in my new community. On-campus, I felt mostly safe. Though I felt uncomfortable with the overwhelming whiteness of the school, I knew that my peers were not malicious and would not harm me. When the hate crimes began to escalate, however, I began to become afraid of leaving campus. That fear heightened to a point where I was afraid to even walk to the school parking lot near my dorm to pick up food deliveries at night. While waiting, I would secretly pray that other students were in the vicinity just in case something happened, and I sighed a breath of relief whenever I saw that the delivery was being made by an Asian driver. 

During this time, while I suffocated amidst a daily sense of anxiety and fear in Portland, I was also plagued with worry for my family back at home--especially my grandparents who were elderly and could not fend for themselves should something happen. At first, I was somewhat comforted by the knowledge that my family lived in an area where they were surrounded by other Asian immigrants, and that this would significantly lower their chances of being the target of racially motivated crimes. However, that sense of security vanished instantly yet again due to the media. While scrolling on Instagram one day, I came across a news article that my friends from home had shared--one reporting that an Asian woman had been assaulted and robbed in a local Taiwanese bakery. A bakery, not 10 minutes from my house and only 5 minutes from my grandparents'. A bakery that my family frequented often for birthday cakes. A bakery owned by the family of one of my childhood peers. Reading that article erased any hope that I had of my family staying safe, indicating to me that no one was safe from these hate crimes--not even those living in an immigrant community. It instilled within me a kind of fear that still exists today--a fear of being seen and targeted as "Other" just because of the way I look. 

While I am grateful for the media for its role in disseminating information on current events and keeping the masses informed, it cannot be ignored that much of the escalation in anti-Asian sentiments across the nation stemmed from news outlets sensationalizing and mislabeling the virus as a "Chinese" one. One issue that remains to be addressed is the role of the media in perpetuating racial stereotypes and defining race relations. In the past, we have already seen that the media plays an immense role in influencing the public's opinion through editorial cartoons and headlines. However, with the advent of social media and digital news sites, the influence of media is more prevalent than ever. Indeed, in what ways does the media promote wellbeing and/or harm in minority communities? How, if at all, can we maximize one and minimize the other? 

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Asian Perspectives During COVID: Stereotypes and Model Minority Myth

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小尹的疫情故事 (Little Wan’s COVID Story)