 By Sophia Kim In the past year, and even more so in the past few months, reports of racism against Asian American people have become increasingly prevalent in the news and media. Of course racism against Asian Americans and Asian people has always existed, but it has gained more attention recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because the first outbreaks of coronavirus occurred in China, some people have directed hateful, racist language and physical violence toward Asian people, especially those of Chinese, East Asian, and Southeast Asian descent, as blame for the pandemic. These days, I look at social media and become overwhelmed with anger and sadness as I see reports of people violently attacking Asian elderly in broad daylight and hear politicians throw around terms such as “China virus” or “Kung Flu” in professional settings. The increase in anti-Asian hate crimes first occurred in March and April of 2020 as the coronavirus spread to America. This increase is exemplified through a report by the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. According to the report, which took data from between 2019 and 2020, while hate crimes in the US’s 16 largest cities overall decreased by 6%, largely due to the enforcement of lockdown, hate crimes against Asian Americans have increased by 145%. In 2019, three anti-Asian hate crimes were reported in New York City, while 28 were reported in 2020. In LA, the number of hate crimes increased from seven to 15, and in Boston, six to 14. Additionally, Stop AAPI Hate recorded 3,795 anti-Asian incidents between March 19, 2020, and February 28, 2021. (STOP AAPI Hate is a nonprofit organization that was created during the COVID-19 pandemic that records acts of hate, harassment, violence and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the US.) According to STOP AAPI Hate, verbal harassment, shunning or avoidance, and physical assault made up the top three types of discrimination reported. Attacks on Asian elderly have continued to make headlines in the news: Americans were especially appalled by a series of attacks on Asian elderly in Oakland, California, on January 31, 2021. One video shows a 91 year-old Asian man being violently pushed to the ground. An 84 year-old man was left dead from the injuries he sustained in a similar incident on the same day. Reports of attacks leave young Asian Americans, including myself, with a very real fear for their parents and grandparents. Although almost 3,800 incidents have been recorded by Stop AAPI Hate, many more incidents have gone unreported. According to Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder and director of AAPI Data, first-generation immigrants tend to under-report incidents of racism. A 2018 study by the Harvard Opinion Research Program similarly shows that Asian Americans report discrimination in employment, housing, and criminal justice less than other minorities in the US. Research has shown that language associating Asian people with the COVID-19 pandemic does impact Americans’ perceptions of Asian Americans. This is confirmed by a study coauthored by Rucker Johnson, a public policy professor at UC Berkeley. According to the study, terms such as “China virus” make Asian Americans seem more “foreign,” causing other Americans to act out in racism and violence. This issue has exacerbated the “perpetual foreigner” stereotype: the idea that Asian Americans will never fully assimilate into American society. This stereotype often prompts people to ask Asian Americans, “No, where are you really from?” or to tell them that they speak English "surprisingly" well. According to a study coauthored by Richard Lee, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Minnesota, this stereotype is psychologically harmful and leads to symptoms of depression and lower self-esteem. It is clear how this type of racism can cause Asian Americans to question their place in society. Lee explains, “It essentially denies your sense of being American, denies your feeling like you belong here.” “China virus” language is not uniquely used by American politicians; politicians world-wide have perpetuated stereotypes and bias against Asian people through racist language. Early in the pandemic, one governor of Italy stated that Italians are generally good at hand-washing and showering, while the Chinese do not follow such hygienic practices and “eat mice live.” In addition, the education minister of Brazil tweeted that the coronavirus pandemic exemplified the Chinese government’s “plan for world domination.” Dehumanizing language like this may contribute to the increased rate of attacks, threats, and discrimination connected to the pandemic that Asian people around the world have experienced. The recent Atlanta shooting has created an uproar in the Asian American community amidst this global rise in anti-Asian hate. On March 16th, 2021, a shooter killed eight people in the Atlanta, Georgia, area. The shooter, Robert Aaron Long, first killed three women and one man at Young’s Asian Massage in Cherokee County, a suburb of Atlanta. The victims were Daoyou Feng (age 44), Paul Andre Michels (54), Xiaojie Tan (49), and Delaina Ashley Yaun (33). Rita Barron, an employee of Gabby’s Boutique directly next door, said she was with a customer when she heard clap-like noises, which were most likely the sounds of gunshots, and women screaming. The shooter next drove to Gold Spa and Aromatherapy Spa in Atlanta, where he killed four other people in less than one hour after the first shooting. The victims there were Hyun Jung Grant (age 51), Suncha Kim (69), Soon Chung Park (74), and Yong Ae Yue (63). In total, six out of the eight people killed were Asian women. While Long claims he killed these people because of his struggles with sex addiction in an attempt to deny that the incident was a hate crime, many following the story believe that these shootings were race and gender-motivated. The site of the first shooting was a strip mall in which other salons and boutiques surrounded Young’s Asian Massage, yet Long chose to target that particular business. He then picked out two other businesses in a separate location that also employed Asian women. When Cherokee County sheriff Jay Baker reported on the murders at a news conference following Long’s arrest, he talked almost sympathetically, saying that Long “was pretty much fed up and kind of at the end of his rope, and yesterday was a really bad day for him and this is what he did.” How can someone defend this murderer? Speaking about the incident in this manner is completely dehumanizing and wholly insensitive to the eight people who were killed and their families who are trying to cope with their losses. During this time of pain within the Asian American community, it is important that we as a society come up with solutions to lessen the racism that Asian people face in America. The “model minority” stereotype has often prevented society from addressing the racism that Asian people face. This stereotype perpetuates the belief that all Asian Americans are successful, hardworking, and academically high-achieving, and that they have adapted smoothly into American society. While this may seem like a “good stereotype,” generalizing Asian people in this way is demeaning and blinds people from the discrimination that Asian people face. Moreover, according to a study published in the Asian American Journal of Psychology, white people who hold the model minority myth are more likely to also have other negative views on Asian Americans. In assuming that all Asians are “well-off” and are not struggling as much as other minority groups, people make the struggles of Asian Americans invisible and exclude them from important conversations. I asked nine Asian students at CR North about their experiences growing up in their community as a minority. A majority of the students stated that they have faced racism in the form of microaggressions - “small” everyday incidents such as racist insults, nicknames, gestures, and comments. Several of the interviewees have been the target of phrases such as “Go back to China” and have been called “dog-eater” or “ch**k.” Others have had their race fetishized or used in “curry” jokes. While these microaggressions seem small in comparison to the physical attacks or hate crimes that have been widely reported in recent months, they have significant psychological impacts on those on the receiving end. As a result of these incidents, these students have grown up uncomfortable in their own skin, “ashamed of [their] ethnicity,” feeling “constant shame of [their] skin color,” “paranoid” of how others view them, “terrified to bring leftovers” from home-cooked meals in fear of being criticized for the smell, and feeling as if they “could be singled out in certain situations” because of their race. In addition to having to deal with the judgement they might face or already face due to their race, these students fear for the safety of their loved ones due to the actual or perceived racism in the community. One participant’s parents no longer feel safe going to a particular golf course after facing racist experiences there. Additionally, one interviewee stated that she fears for the safety of her grandparents who live in New York where many attacks against Asian people have occurred. Similarly, another student’s grandmother will be moving in with the interviewee’s family out of her home in Philadelphia due to the increase in Asian hate crimes in American cities. While I only interviewed a small group of Asian students from North, many of these students are deeply impacted by the racism that they and their families face. I also asked the students how they think we as a school or community in general can stop racism against Asian people. Several students commented that we should begin by better acknowledging racism, holding people accountable for their mistakes, and recognizing that microaggressions and terms such as “China virus” really are destructive. Whether in the media or in the incidents we witness first-hand, by allowing racism to go unaddressed, we are allowing the problem to become further perpetuated and normalized. Others suggested solutions that can be implemented in school. One student stated that education on racism should begin at the elementary and middle-school levels. Another answered that discussions on racism should take place more often in English or history classes so that all students have the opportunity to discuss these problems with others. One student stated that schools should take the initiative to educate students on “what classifies racism as racism and the harms of ‘jokes’ and microaggressions.” Another participant suggested that we could offer more Asian cuisine in the school cafeteria. While change will inevitably come slowly, we must continue to have these discussions in order to spread awareness of racism against Asian Americans and at least begin to break down harmful stereotypes and beliefs. If we want to build a more just and peaceful world, society must learn to see Asian people as humans first. 
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 By Madison O'Leary
As the days are getting warmer and the college acceptances are rolling in, the cases of the dreaded “senioritis” seem to be on the rise. I, for one, can attest to this fact. However, like so many in the class of 2021, I know that it is still imperative to stay on top of my classes and keep my grades up for those senior final exemptions. With only two months left in the school year, it’s probably in the seniors’ collective best interest to continue working hard. So, I have compiled a list of tips that I have been using to stay motivated for this last stretch of the school year: 1) Set your own deadlines for final projects. Whenever I have been assigned an essay or a presentation project this year, I have been breaking up the work across multiple days. I tell myself that I need to write however many pages, or however many slides each day, and I hold myself accountable for finishing the work. Splitting up my more time-consuming projects across multiple days has been especially helpful this past year, and I have been much less stressed-out as a result. I know that at this stage in the game, it is too easy to put an assignment off to the last minute and put in minimal effort--or, just not do it at all! 2) Make a list of all the upcoming deadlines for end-of-the-year senior events. Between prom and graduation and the upcoming Disney class trip, we can easily lose track of the payments and forms and deadlines. Canvas can be difficult to navigate, and I know that I’ve almost missed deadlines, or have forgotten that a form was due soon. Adding all of the available due dates for these forms and payments to an individualized planner/schedule has helped me stay organized over the last few weeks, so I would highly recommend investing in one. You wouldn’t want to miss out on any of these experiences because of a missed deadline! 3) If you have the time, use that extra hour right after school ends to get ahead on assignments. I know that I do not have any motivation to do schoolwork later at night, and starting my work right after school has really helped me stay on top of my various projects. It seems silly, but using this extra time at the end of the day has really helped me remain organized! I also interviewed some other members from the class of 2021 (Kajal Sitapara, Reeve Bernstein, Kaylin Lee, and Maren Donegan) to get their perspective on this crazy senior year and how they’ve been managing any “senioritis” symptoms: Q: How have you been managing any “senioritis”? Kajal: I don’t think my senioritis is as bad as others’ when it comes to homework and stuff but it does make it hard to get out of bed and go to school in person rather than virtually. Reeve: I've been managing senioritis by only letting myself skip homework once or twice a month Kaylin: I'm honestly just telling myself that there's only 2 more months left and it would be really depressing if I failed out now. Maren: I think a lot of what has been “warding off senioritis” for me is balancing life and school equally. Exercise definitely helps me to focus and get motivated! Q: What have you been doing to stay motivated? Kajal: Going in person and doing my homework as soon as I get home so that I still feel the effects of “in-school” motivation Reeve: My motivation mainly comes from prom, Disney, and the fact that we're almost done the year. Why give up now if we're so close? Kaylin: To stay motivated, I study and do homework with my friends on FaceTime. Maren: I know what my goals are, and I know the classes I’m taking right now will be important for my long term goals Q: How has your senior year experience been so far? Kajal: It’s been pretty lonely because a lot of my friends are virtual while I’m in person. I'm glad our officers decided to host a prom when our school said they wouldn’t! Reeve: Senior year was definitely not what I thought it would be when I came into North as a freshman. It went way faster than I thought it would, and even though half was virtual, I still really enjoyed it! Kaylin: It's been different than I imagined it would be, but it hasn't been that bad. It would be nice to see my friends in person, though! Maren: It’s definitely been different, but it’ll be a good story to tell my grandkids one day! Q: What are you looking forward to most about the rest of this school year? Kajal: Graduating. Reeve: Definitely looking forward to the garden gala prom and the Disney trip with my friends! I'm also excited for graduation day! Kaylin: I'm looking forward to the Disney trip so I can forget about finals for a week! Maren: Graduation and seeing where all my friends/classmates end up going after high school. It seems like the general consensus is the upcoming senior events are keeping everyone in the class of 2021 on task and motivated. Personally, I’m looking forward to what the rest of this year has to bring! Good luck to all the seniors, and keep trying to fight against the dreaded “senioritis”! |
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