Andrew Yang made waves earlier this month with his very misguided opinion that Asian-Americans (who are once again being clumped into one giant monolithic term) need to assimilate to white American cultural norms to combat the rising racism and xenophobia here in the United States. Apart from the fact that history has proven time and time again that participating in respectability politics and contributing to the model minority myth does not work to combat deep seeded and institutionalized racism and xenophobia, he missed a huge part of the whole picture.
The cruel reactions that dominant societies have, particularly in a time of crisis, to the “other” is not new for us or for many other minority groups globally and in the United States. And the efforts to fight against it, educate when we can and have the mental and physical space for it, or just simply survive and create boundaries if you’re lucky enough to do so (a very legitimate form of resistance) remain paramount to taking back agency of our identity.
While COVID-19 has reinvigorated important conversations about AAPI identity, these conversations are missing the crucial piece that intersectionality also strengthens us.
I have a curated list of Asian-American celebrities and influencers that I have followed since undergrad, the time that I was really able to lean into my Asian and Chinese-American identity after feeling ashamed about it growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood and school system. These folks demonstrate pride in their Asian-Am identities and their diverse histories – from 1st generation children like me, to inter-racial adoptees, to those whose families have lived in the United States for generations. I am able to find a kindred spirit in and admire them for being public figures with the same labels and identities that I share. For most of my life, I didn’t have that in my life beyond tokens like Lucy Liu and Michelle Kwan. Then, in the last few years, it seemed like Asian-Ams were finally getting their spotlight in mainstream media with the Crazy Rich Asians franchise, Celeste Ng books (and now show!), To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, the 2018 Winter Olympics Team USA with Chloe Kim and the ice skating team, and even Andrew Yang as a major party presidential candidate. It was representation in a way I never thought possible.
As excited as I was about this movement, something about all this was off, like how it feels when a random chotski on your shelf isn’t angled quite right (are my old lady habits too obvious now?).
And then it clicked. Most forms of mainstream Asian-Am pride led to this idea that we are alone in our struggles. That only people within the community can understand how it feels to be marginalized and needing to push ourselves to be seen as the amazing individuals we are rather than the stereotypes that white American society has constructed for us.
Prior to COVID-19 becoming an official pandemic, many Asian-Ams argued to vote for Andrew Yang because #asianpride. And now, many are telling us to specifically support Asian small businesses (yup, calling you out @wongfuphil). That mentality is wrong, unhelpful, and reinforces imaginary divisions meant to keep us all down. Too many of us Americans, regardless of the hyphen, have historically been marginalized and victims of systemic -isms and personal prejudice. Today, too many Black Americans, poor folks, and other disadvantaged communities are being disproportionately hurt by the societal and economic effects of the pandemic.
If we’ve learned anything during this time, it’s that we cannot just focus inward to our own community. Intersectionality matters more than ever as it takes all of us to save lives. We must support those who are on the front lines to feed us and provide essential services. Those who don’t have the financial cushion to stay at home while maintaining a steady income. Those who fear for their lives because of violent environments at “home” or because of racial profiling outside of their homes.
We should use this time to rise up, band together, and become allies with all historically marginalized communities. We cannot fall into the same habits, but instead strive to come out of this horrible situation stronger than before. We are better and we can be better, together. (But like, physically apart #socialdistancing).
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