Is there really a problem w/ the Black & Asian Community?
The rise in Anti- Asian sentiment has reached Critical Mass. Mainstream Media has reported on these attacks over the last Year, but despite the overwhelming number of incidents perpetrated by White Men, The Media is pushing a narrative of Asian bias in the Black Community. Networks like ABC have been less than honest w/ their reporting. Black Media has uncovered inconsistencies in these 'Reports'. They range from incomplete narratives & naming the same victim in multiple Events, to using old footage (i.e. 1992 L.A. Riots) in an effort to present Black America as the source of Anti- Asian attacks.
The Black individuals that have been accused [for the most part] appear Mentally Ill & Homeless, but there has been no mention of this. Meanwhile, stories of White Men violently beating & killing their Asian partners are put in the back of newspapers. I don't understand where the notion of Blackfolk targeting Asianfolk comes from. Celebrities from Daniel Dae Kim to Juju Chang, have implied that Black America needs to do more about Anti Asian bias. It was also implied that Asian families are starting to have 'The Talk' w/ their children about how to interact w/ Us. As a Black American, I am insulted by this.
I think that we can agree that Nothing is absolute. No Ethnic Group is Monolithic, but most follow a Collective Consciousness. Looking @ the Asian & Black 'Collective', both groups have very little contact w/ each other. In fact, the only [regular] contact that Blackfolk have w/ Asians, is when we shop in their stores. Asian Shop Owners are given opportunities in Black Communities that Black Business Owners were denied.
Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese & East Indian (Hindi)/ Pakistani/ Bangladeshi Shop Owners collectively make Billions from Black customers. Most express a clear disdain for Us. They perform transactions stonefaced, w/ no kind words or pleasantry. Nail Salon & Beauty Supply Owners are notorious for using Black racial slurs in their native tongue. It's a One Way Street. While the Black Community supports Asian businesses, Asians do not support Black Business- They circumvent them.
They come into Our Communities w/ cameras, snapping pictures of existing businesses, then copy Business Models that can be appropriated. This has gone on for decades. Markets, 'Dollar' Stores, Restaurants, Laundromats, & Dry Cleaners have shifted from Black to Asian Owned. Today, Asians have cornered the Black Hair Care Market. Black Owned Beauty Supply Stores have endured Anti- Black bias from Asian Wholesalers, intent on limiting the level of competition Black Shops bring to Asian Shops.
Black America took note of All of This. We thought that patronizing these businesses was a show of Solidarity. Black Liberation Leaders of the last generation adopted Communism, & studied the philosophies of Mao Tse Tung (Zedong) & Ho Chi Minh. We identified w/ their struggle. As Children, Gen X & Millennials grew up on Kung Fu Movies; many of Us studied T'ai Chi, Karate, Kung Fu, or Tae Kwon Do. We studied 'The Art of War', 'The I- Ching', & Taoism. We have a deep respect for Asian Culture. Japanese 'B-Boys' were accepted into HipHop Culture as Family. We were living in The Spirit of the Badung Conference.
Anti- Black bias in the Asian Community used to be a Korean thing. Again, No Group is Monolithic, but Koreans generally believed the stories that racist U.S. Soldiers told them about Black America. They immigrated to L.A. & NYC w/ preconceived notions that set off the current tension between Our Communities. Korean Nail Salons have a history of disrespecting Black Women- verbally & physically. The Murder of (15Yr Old) Latasha Harlins by Soon Ja Du, was a Watershed Moment in Black- Asian Relations. Asian Support for Peter Liang, following his senseless Murder of Akai Gurley was sobering... Any friction between Our Communities comes as a result of these Acts, but No One is talking about this.
The current dilemma between Us comes from COVID Protocols practiced throughout Asia. Black America is responding to reports of Black People getting evicted from their Homes & Hotel Rooms. They are being denied service @ Shops & Restaurants, because Asians, from Korea to Indonesia believe that Blackfolk somehow are responsible for a Pandemic that originated in Wuhan. It implies that as a People, We are less than clean. The general population were already pretty callous towards Black People, but the COVID Pandemic has produced particularly Racist & xenophobic acts.
In response to the Anti- Black Racism occurring throughout Asia, Black America boycotted Asian businesses locally. The result has been a financial blow to the Asian Community. They forgot WHO pays for their McMansions, Luxury Vehicles, & Ivy League Tuitions. A year ago, Congresswoman Grace Meng pushed for an Asian Economic Relief Package to offset losses, but the Trump Administration expanded it into the 1st COVID Relief Package for ALL Americans. A year later, Black Communities nationwide are still slow to patronize these businesses. Many 'bulletproof' Chinese Take Out Restaurants remain closed, & China Towns don't have the Black consumer traffic they had in the past.
America designated Asian Americans 'Model Minorities', mainly because They don't pose a threat to White Supremacy. Today, the average Asian Household earns more than the average White Household. Yvette Carnell raised an interesting question: Does this make Asians 'White'? Most are 1st generation Americans, & only a handful of lower income families truly know poverty. White Supremacist acts tend to rise during economic recessions. Trump followers have been pretty vocal about their position in America. The fact that 1st generation Asian families are doing better than [White] American families that have been here for several generations can't be ignored.
Pushing the Anti- Asian tag on Blackfolk is not just disingenuous, it's a cowardly act. At a time when Blackfolk are being assaulted & killed wantonly, Asians are equating those actions w/ the verbal harassment they endured over the past year. It's unacceptable behavior, but it's Apples & Oranges. Stranger still, is the National Stage Anti- Asian 'Bias' has gotten, while Anti- Black Racism RARELY gets called a 'Hate Crime'. George Floyd was murdered in broad daylight, & THAT wasn't enough to call his death a 'Hate Crime'.
No disrespect to the Asian Community, but this looks like a smokescreen to draw attention away from The Fact that Black America has made progress in dismantling White Supremacy & demanding Reparations for 244Yrs of Government Sanctioned anti- Black Racism. The Asian Community has gotten aggressive w/ Blackfolk over the last few weeks, but where is the Asian outrage over Asian Women brutally killed by White Men? This looks like a pattern.
Following the murders of Trayvon Martin & Tamir Rice, a series of homophobic attacks were attributed to Black Men. As BLM cut its teeth protesting the murders of Michael Brown, Freddy Grey, & Eric Garner #MeToo tried to paint a narrative of Black Male abuse of Black Women. A few years ago, as Botham Jean's murder, along w/ several 'Blackface' incidents took Center Stage, Anti- Semitic acts were being attributed to young Black Males. Today, its Anti- Asian bias.
As a Community, We are aware of CoIntelPro operations. We KNOW that some of Us are compromised into working against Our Collective 'Best Interests'. We're living in tough economic times, so Crimes of Convenience are a reality; but many of the actions attributed to Us over the past several years raises eyebrows. As Phillip Scott stated: Blackfolk don't make unlawful moves "when The Block is Hot". Why would We harass or assault [elderly] Asians, when EVERYONE is waiting for Us to do it?
Contrary to National Opinion, We're NOT that stupid. All of this paints an old narrative- that of the Black 'Super Predator'; an entity that the 1994 Crime Bill (Biden's Law) was passed to address. Putting this in context w/ Voter Restriction, & the Tactic of blending Black American Oppression w/ the 'Struggle' of People of Color, I can't help but ask: Who's the Real Victim here? White Supremacy has tried to dirty the [global] image of Black America since our Great Grand Fathers returned home from World War 1. This simply looks like the latest effort.
