Season 2 Episode 07: Another Racial Reckoning In America - Part I

The recent mass shooting in Atlanta, GA has brought an even sharper focus on the uptick in violence against the Asian American community. The Anti-Asian rhetoric espoused by the Trump Administration during the Pandemic unleashed a wave of attacks and harassment against Asian Americans.  In the first part of this two-episode special, our roundtable invited special guests Mary Li & Ed Bird Song to voice their perspectives on the rise in Anti-Asian sentiment and violence against the AAPI community. 

 From Yellow Peril to the Model Minority Myth to calling Covid-19 the China Virus, America has a long history of Anti-Asian rhetoric and stereotypes. These harmful generalizations manifest themselves in various ways ranging from public shunning to physical assault. This trama is compounded when media outlets often remain silent in their coverage of these events.

As the adverse effects of White Supremacy continue to permeate throughout American society and violence continues to rise against communities of color, many see a long road ahead. Biden's recent promise to create the senior-level role of AAPI liaison within his administration may help in some regards, but it will take radical steps of love and coalition building to end the violence and inequality.