Ashley Chau

ashaley.chau@gmail.com

Ms. Rohan

Honors English

18 May 2022

Behind the scenes of the AAPI community

Introduction

Throughout the entire year of researching and adding to my knowledge on Asian

American and Pacific Islander discrimination and racism, I have come to the conclusion that any

type of violence, prejudice, discrimination or racism heavily affects, not only those that are

directly affected, but those in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community alone. By no

means am I stating that AAPI individuals experience more mental health issues than other

minority communities--that statistic and statement would not be true. Although the AAPI

community is certainly rich in culture, values and a collectivist spirit, this can also open a

doorway to psychological burden. Researching the mental health of AAPI community

individuals in particular sparked my interest and motivation; I want to increase the information

and research reaching this community in order to spread awareness of how it’s sometimes

negative culture practice contributes to deteriorating mental health, prejudice, discrimination,

violence, and racism. Being part of this community myself, I can't help but educate myself on

this ongoing issue in hopes of spreading awareness. This research has allowed me to become

better connected to my roots, in turn allowing me to educate others who aren’t as knowledgeable

on the subject.
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My main motivation for investigating this topic is the fact that I enjoy learning more

about the communities I am a part of because it connects me more to deeper knowledge and

allows me to become more connected to my community. Being able to research this topic and

become more knowledgeable will allow me to become more educated and to have the

opportunity to educate others on topics who are not knowledgeable about it and to allow myself

to help advocate for those who are struggling the most during this hard time.

What Others Say

Many sources that I had come across have mainly the same perspective which is, people

who are committing acts of discrimination and assaults are being overlooked by authorities.

Many of my sources mention when it comes to this topic that every time official reports become

public regarding violent crimes against Asian-American, reports for the most part, never lead to

arrests or charges that regard hate crimes. The

overlooked information from authorities creates a

vulnerability towards the community because without

reliable data it makes it more difficult to determine

whether Asian-Americans are being targeted or not.

Other sources also state that despite the debate

in which whether or not Asian-Americans are being

targeted or not, it would simply be that when it comes

to attacks or encounters that are racist towards

Asian-Americans, the law isn’t designed to account for

the many ways Asian-Americans experience racism.

According to one of my sources, they state that Anti-Asian hate isn't widely recognizable, that
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there’s no symbol to represent the hate/racism against Asians, such as a noose or swastika.

Which historically made it difficult for Asian-Americans who became crime victims, for

example: small business owners who were robbed, made it difficult for authorities to determine

whether the crime was racially motivated or not.

Sources which had opposing views on the topic of AAPI hate stated that those who

claimed to be being attacked, and of Asian descent, were not attacked due to their race but due to

politics and information; I had come across would state that the Chinese community in the US

were completely denying the fact that their own community were being attacked and denied the

existence of hate crimes occurring. Many of those community members were a part of the

anti-communist group that refuse to see the United States as non-other than the land of the free,

which make them blindly believe in racial hierarchies that position white people at the top. This

part of the community claims that racism towards their own community is political manipulation.

The Asian community has always been silent when it comes to social and political issues

in the country which are connected to cultural values and traditional morals. It is better

understood when Asian-Americans have suffered through discrimination and racism over the

centuries of being in America and now that the issue has become mainstream and more well

known, not only in the country of the

United States but also around the

world, give people more opportunities

to speak against the issue and create

an even bigger conflict.

Overall, due to cultural values,

traditional morals and a collectivist

spirit that the AAPI community has. Asians will continue to be stepped over by the society and

world we live in, and due to that, as the new generation grows up. As a community, we need to

be able to stand up for our community and advocate and speak against those who think we don’t

deserve justice.

POV: You’re Asian-American

Throughout the school year, the Honors English class was assigned to read two

independent reading books, related to our Expert Project topic. The two books I had read were

The Making of Asian America written by Eriak Lee and Minor Feelings written by Cathy Park

Hong.

Minor Feelings written by Cathy Park Hong consists of seven poetry essays that

addresses racial self, racial awareness, and specifically the Asian American consciousness. This

book goes back into the author’s relationship towards the English language and the struggles she

had with shame and depression. She vocalizes the challenges she faced in her youth as a first

generation Asian American with immigrant parents in order to spread racial awareness

throughout the community. Not only does she address the model minority myth, which is highly

stereotyped within the Asian American community, but also the brutality among the casual

racism among the AAPI community and the discomposure of first generation children. Hong also

analyzes what it means to be an Asian American today and goes into depth of the burdensome

tasks and expectations automatically put on first generation students, specifically belonging to

the AAPI community. Hong explains how much of the culture and expectations puts a

psychological burden on the individual and how their mental health can be affected. The title

Minor Feelings simply explains what Cathy Park Hoang is arguing; how the culture, expectations

and collectivist view, negatively impacts first generation Asian Americans, making them feel
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disregarded because they have to work hard for their family and make them proud since that’s

what is expected of them.

The Making of Asian America: A History written by Erika Lee consists of chapters that

talk about the generations of Asian immigrants and Asian Americans who have made and

remade what the Asian American life is now. Lee demonstrated heavy research into Asian

American history from first trans-Pacific ships in 1500, Japanese Americans being incarcerated

during WWII, Asian civil rights movements and community activism. Between the two books I

have read throughout this entire , The

Making of Asian America: A History by

Erika Lee and Minor Feelings by Cathy

Park Hong have connections that are

exceedingly distinct to one another but still

manage to correlate. Lee’s book is written

on the struggles of how generations of

Asian Americans have fought and have

given us the opportunities and rights us

current and future generations will

continue to have. Hong’s book is based on the struggles that AAPI individuals go through

mentally and culturally. She demonstrates what it means to be Asian American and how heavy

the burden is upon first generation AAPI individuals by their relatives and society. These two

books have an exceedingly distinct connection between one another since they offer two

perspectives of Asian America; Lee’s book demonstrates the Asian American community as a

whole, while Hong’s demonstrates how an individual is viewed within the Asian American
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community, as well in society. Today Asians experience prejudice, discrimination, racism

attacks, which were experienced in the past as well. While also going through high expectations

put upon them in society and family affairs, “Years of accumulated stereotypes unconsciously

flickered through their minds before they acted,” (Hong 33).

Throughout this entire year, doing extensive research and gaining more insight on topics I

was familiar with. The pieces of which I didn’t pay much attention throughout this research were

the alternated views or in other words. The amount of controversy surrounding this topic simply

didn’t attract enough attention to me. This research project allowed me to research those alternate

viewpoints, which has helped me become more informed on everything surrounding my topic.

Some of the opposing viewpoints that I have come across are those who are straightforwardly

not knowledgeable enough and are very simple minded in addition to not knowing enough about

AAPI culture and what it does to an individual within that community. For example, from the

critical notes taken throughout the year. Critical notes number ten, from the article “The Role of

Racial/Ethnic Identity in the Association between Racial Discrimination and Psychiatric

Disorders: A Buffer or Exacerbator?” The main point of the article is how individuals who are

victims of racism and discrimination have a bigger psychological burden, depending on how

deeply connected they are to their culture. The opposing view on the main point is simply that

someone cannot be so deeply connected to their culture, that the racism and discrimination that

they have experienced is associated with a stronger psychological burden for people who more

values into their racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Different Perspectives

Throughout this entire project, a survey conducted by Ashley Chau, “Discrimination

Against Communities” was conducted. The survey was taken by high school students and those a
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part of racial and minority communities to show the understanding how those who have been

victims affected by discrimination and how they were affected, mental health wise. Some of the

key findings from the survey showed: 100 % of responses agreed that the mental health of

victims of assault and discrimination are heavily affected and 26.7% of responses also disagreed

that crimes reported as an attack against a minority community it should be reported as a hate

crime. The first key finding showed that out of the 15 respondents, all 15 of them, agreed with

the fact that the mental health of those who have been directly affected by discrimination,

harrassment and racism are the most heavily affected. Which led to the understanding that all

respondents are educated on the matter and believe that certain heavily traumatizing events affect

an individual’s mental health. The second key finding showed that 26.7% of the respondents did

not believe that those who are a part of the minority communities do not experience more

identity crises than other racial communities, while the rest of 73.3% did agree. Those who

responded with “No”, creates an assumption that they aren’t exposed to individuals who are

affected by identity crises, aren’t

educated on the effects or simply do

not understand the fact how

minorities are affected more by

identity crises. The entire research

project was based on trying to find out different perspectives o understand how those who have

been victims affected by discrimination are affected. The method of gathering information was

posting surveys on social media in hopes of gathering info from individuals about their opinions

despite their age, gender and ethnicity. The results concluded that some of the respondents are
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merely aren’t as educated on certain topics on discrimination towards communities, or, again,

simply not exposed enough to the matter, than other individuals.

Conclusion

Throughout the year of researching the internet, reading books, conducting research

surveys and adding my own perspective towards this topic, I have gained the most important

lesson and learning experience which is that no matter who you are, there will always be

different individuals with different perspectives, and expressing those differences should never

result in violence. My main spark of interest in this project topic was during the speak of Asian

American and Pacific Islander discriminatory attacks and harrasment towards the community. I,

personally, being a part of this community, gave me the inspiration and opportunity to not only

educate myself but to also educate others around me. Throughout this year-long project, it

officially gave me the courage to put myself out there as an advocate and voice for those in my

community who didn’t and am beyond grateful for the opportunity and knowledge that education

has allowed me to gain.

Works Cited

ABC News, ABC News Network,

https://abcnews.go.com/US/anti-asian-hate-incidents-unreported/story?id=765090

72.

Asian-Americans Are Being Attacked. Why Are Hate Crime Charges so Rare?

http://res.tigerge.cn/%E8%A1%A5%E5%85%851%20Asian%20Americans%20

Are%20Being%20Attacked.pdf.

“Discrimination towards Communities Pt.2.” Google, Google,

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScXmvtnHZFpSAZNeTGx85Cmyd

wEw2dhw9-euhGYdw_DV2nL9Q/viewform?usp=sf_link.

Hong, Cathy Park. Minor Feelings. Profile Books Ltd, 2021.

Lee, Erika. The Making of Asian America: A History. Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2021.

Nguyen, Viet Thanh. “The Sympathizer.” Amazon, Corsair, an Imprint of Little, Brown

Book Group, 2019,

https://www.amazon.com/Sympathizer-Novel-Viet-Thanh-Nguyen/dp/1543618022.

Person. “2 Older Asian Women Stabbed in Broad Daylight While Waiting for Bus in
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Downtown SF.” ABC7 San Francisco, KGO-TV, 5 May 2021,

https://abc7news.com/san-francisco-stabbing-market-street-asian-women-stabbed-s

f-attacked/10581212/.

“Sixth Tone.” Sixth Tone, https://www.sixthtone.com/.