Season 2 Episode 08: Another Racial Reckoning in America - Part 2

The violence against the AAPI Community is continuing seemingly at an unabated pace. And with this, many of the stereotypes and misconceptions about the community are bubbling to the surface. It speaks to a long history of Anti-Asian bias that must be dismantled. In the second part of our two-episode special, our roundtable delves into the history that brought us to this moment.

The AAPI Community’s fight for visibility and justice in America has a long and storied history that reaches back to the 1800s. The Page Act of 1875 and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 were landmarks that gave carte blanche to discriminate against the Asian community. And sadly, the underpinnings can still be felt to this day with the lack of visibility with crimes directed towards the AAPI community, the hypersexualization of Asian women, and the Model Minority stereotype. 

With all of these factors at play and the timing of these events, one cannot help but have a feeling of Déjà vu. Last year's BLM protests drew the final line in the sand for many minority communities. However, as we continue to fight these harmful biases we must realize that this cannot be done without a collective effort.