'Why did you bring Corona to America?' Asian Americans detail Trump-inspired xenophobic attacks.
Racism against East Asian communities continues to rise as the coronavirus spreads. Those taking public transportation worldwide have been subject to both physical and verbal violence as a result of misinformation. In the U.S. alone, multiple cases have been shared on social media where Asian Americans have faced discrimination or have been attacked.
In a video shared Sunday on Facebook, Emily Chen was riding the subway home in New York City when a male passenger began verbally harassing her. "You're Chinese, why did you bring Corona to America?" the man can be heard saying in the video. "Luckily, no one got hurt," Chen said in her Facebook post. he gave credit to a bystander who stepped in to defend her. In the video, the man continued to yell at Chen while she recorded and the bystander blocked him from getting closer.
The incident follows two other attacks against Asian Americans in New York on March 10. Last week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio condemned the coronavirus-related attacks during a media roundtable. Right now, we've seen particularly troubling instances of discrimination directed at Asian communities, particularly in the Chinese community, de Blasio said. This is unacceptable.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that the citys Hate Crime Task Force would be investigating potential crimes, ABC News reported. "To be clear, there is zero evidence that people of Asian descent bear any additional responsibility for the transmission of the coronavirus," he said. During disease outbreaks and mass hysteria, attacks on marginalized communities are not an exception but a common occurrence. Far too many people become concerned with what a group of people is doing as opposed to how an epidemic is being spread. Xenophobia and racism creates the conception that any behavior a specific group is doing is suspicious or even at fault for spreading disease, The Atlantic reported.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/3/18/1928651/--Why-did-you-bring-Corona-to-America-Asian-Americans-detail-Trump-inspired-xenophobic-attacks?detail=emaildkre