The COVID-19 global pandemic has negatively impacted the lives of millions of people around the world and one of the ways it is affecting Asian American people is an increase in racist incidents. President Trump recently called Coronavirus the ‘
China Virus,’ a move that undoubtedly contributed to the
rise in cases of racially motivated crimes towards Asian-American people. The
Los Angeles Times has now released a powerful essay by actor John Cho, who decries the need for Asian Americans to prove their ‘Americanness’ and calls on allies to support their family, friends and neighbours from racially charged attacks.“The pandemic is reminding us that our belonging is conditional,” writes Cho in the
poignant and moving Op-Ed. “One moment we are Americans, the next we are all foreigners, who “brought” the virus here.”Cho, who was born in Korea and immigrated to the US when he was six, writes that he experienced a role reversal moment when recently calling his parents and telling them to be cautious when out in public. “My plea mirrored the admonitions I received from them as a child growing up in Houston,” writes Cho, adding that several of his friends have shared their first-hand experiences of racist attacks in the past weeks. “The world, they cautioned, was hostile and it viewed us as strangers. So they warned me to stick close to my family. Close to my kind.”[video_embed id='5535608504001']RELATED: Should a character’s race be addressed in on-screen roles?[/video_embed]The
Star Trek actor said that his parents often encouraged Cho and his younger brother to assimilate to North American culture, a move that his parents hoped would keep their children safe. “To that end, my parents encouraged me and my younger brother to watch as much television as possible, so that we might learn to speak and act like the natives. The hope was that race would not disadvantage us — the next generation — if we played our cards right.”“When I became an actor (maybe as a result of all that TV), and really started to work, I felt glimmers of my parents’ hope coming to fruition — doors were open, strangers were kinder. In some ways, I began to lead a life devoid of race,” writes Cho. “But I’ve learned that a moment always comes along to remind you that your race defines you above all else.”The
Harold and Kumar star shared his experiences traveling with co-star Kal Penn in 2004 while promoting the stoner friend comedy. South Asian racism was still rampant in the wake of 9/11 and Cho remembered Penn, who was currently starring in a hit movie in theaters, was still continually pulled aside by security and sent through additional screening at airports.Cho notes that many of the commonly held stereotypes of Asian Americans have caused a widespread ambivalence towards racially charged crimes against the community. “Because the stereotypes may be complimentary (hardworking, good at math), it makes people — including us — think that anti-Asian sentiment is somehow less serious, that it’s racism lite,” writes Cho. “That allows us to dismiss the current wave of Asian hate crimes as trivial, isolated and unimportant. Consider the comedians who mock Asians, but restrain themselves when it comes to other groups.”Cho’s essay includes references to several dark points in history, including the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII and the brutal murder of Detroit autoworker Vincent Chin during the ‘Japanese takeover’ of the auto industry in 1982.“You can’t stand up for some and not for others,” said Cho. “And like the virus, unchecked aggression has the potential to spread wildly. Please don’t minimize the hate or assume it’s somewhere far away. It’s happening close to you. If you see it on the street, say something. If you hear it at work, say something. If you sense it in your family, say something. Stand up for your fellow Americans."[video_embed id='1943353']BEFORE YOU GO: This teacher's COVID-19 song made our hosts cry of laughter[/video_embed]
