On Wednesday (June 17), Brave New Film, a new media company based in Los Angeles, California, held its online premiere with the launch of the investigative documentary "Hate Pandemic: Covid-19 Anti-Asian Racism," which was also attended by U.S. Congressional Chinese-American Reps. Zhao Meixin and Liu Yunping, who shared their views.
"Pandemic of Hate: Anti-Asian Racism During COVID-19," which lasts less than five minutes, documents the injustices, discrimination and violence experienced by the Asian community during the COVID-19 pandemic through captured street conversations and clashes.
The film shows that Asians living in the United States are discriminated against because the new coronavirus was once called the "Chinese virus". This includes verbal violence, being yelled at by other ethnic groups to "Get back to where you were," "Roll, America doesn't welcome you," "You Chinese brought the virus to America," "you dirty Chinese," being threatened with hurting children, physical violence, being splashed on the streets, throwing objects, and even being injured by punches and kicks. These anti-Asian phenomena have been experienced by everyone from Asian-American media public figures to health care workers who are helping to fight the pandemic.
Many people in the film say, "I've never had an experience like this before, and "America is great because of its diversity." ”
Robert Greenwald, founder of Warrior New Films, said: "This film is meant to raise awareness of the crimes, attacks and racism suffered by Asians during the COVID-19 pandemic. The viewer can see these phenomena from one face to the next. I also hope to use this film as a tool to get people to act, both from a personal perspective and from a legislative point of view. ”
Senator KAMALA D. HARRIS, representing California, said: "The film shows us that the intimidation, threats, attacks and other acts against Asians are worrying and unforgivable. Moreover, each of us has a responsibility to condemn such acts at all times and in all places. ”
Kelly Hu, an actress who has been active in Hollywood, said frankly that she was hesitant to attend the event because, "first, I don't know if I am qualified to speak at this ceremony, I am afraid that I will not be able to make it right; second, I am afraid that there will be a fierce reaction after showing up here and expressing my opinion." Still, I felt it was important to summon up the courage to confront racism, which far exceeded my personal fears and my own fears. It is my responsibility to use small platforms to draw attention to what is going on in our race. Can't be bullied to the point where they don't dare to speak up... And we Asians are also used to a state of not caring about ourselves and are not willing to provoke things, but now, things have been provoked. Whether we like to see it or not, there are a lot of weeds ahead. No one will throw us a lifebuoy, only self-help. Stand up and speak, not only for yourself, but also for other ethnic groups. ”
Rep. Ted Lieu from California noted that what we see now of racism against Asians is not accidental, but has historical roots, "The Yellow Peril, the Chinese Exclusion Act, the mass imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II, and the killing of Vincent Chin are all examples." Now, we are experiencing discrimination against Chinese caused by the coronavirus. We have to resist. When this happens, we need to focus on it. The term 'Chinese virus' has indeed spurred hatred against ethnic Chinese. I therefore also wrote the Washington Post to fight back. Public pressure works, so I want everyone to speak up. ”
Brian Tee, a Japanese-American actor, said that he initially had similar sensitive concerns with Hu Kaili, but ultimately believed that asian minorities, who are considered a model ethnic group in the United States, cannot remain silent, "that would hinder the progress of their own ethnic groups and hinder the communication and interaction between ethnic groups and other ethnic groups." He said that he reflected that in the past incidents of African Americans being racially discriminated against, although he felt very angry, he did not express it with action; now, asians have encountered discrimination, he came out to express his opinion, "I have to ask myself, why didn't I actively stand up and support others when something didn't happen to me?" ”
Dr. Chen Fu, a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, he encountered someone yelling at him in the subway, which was the central meaning around his Chinese history. He used the analogy of orchestra playing that if an instrument plays a discordant tone, the whole performance is destroyed; the United States is the home of Asian Americans, and now it is certain that this homeland will bring the security and stability it deserves, and only harmony is the only way.
Rep. Judy Chu, from California, also chairs the U.S. Congressional Asia-Pacific Caucus. She said, who is attending the congressional hearing, that she thinks it is important to take the time to come out and make a statement, "As the chairman of the US Congress's Asia-Pacific caucus, I would like to say that today's film 'Hate Pandemic: COVID-19 Anti-Asian Racism' has not been launched better than it is now. Our country, the United States, has always revolved around inclusion and diversity. Over the past few weeks, we have experienced a nationwide street movement led by the Floyd affair, with people demanding justice for men and women like Freud, who were murdered simply because of the color of their skin. The ethnic groups of these protesters are so diverse. This shows that in order to make the world a better place, we must come out and support each other. ”
At this point, Zhao said, the Congressional Asia-Pacific Caucus chose to fight alongside the African-American group in Congress, not only because it was right to do so, but also because Asia-Pacific Americans are equally aware of the pain of racism. This year, Asian Pacific Americans across the country have been threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic. She said that in January, people began to talk about Asian restaurants and businesses, saying that these restaurants and businesses are more likely to spread the virus, so they should avoid it, and then it has developed to the fact that in recent months there have been people everywhere spitting, abusing and attacking Asians, "I am very happy, now we have this movie to encourage Asian Americans all over the United States to speak out and fight the emergence of racism and xenophobia." Whether it's police violence or pandemic exclusion, we must support and assist each other to protect the rights of every American. ”
John C. Yang is president of Asian Americans for Justice. He believes that Asian Americans are at a critical juncture, and must be on the side of African Americans, uniting with them, "The racial discrimination that we Asians see now is nothing more than a symptom of structural problems, and we want to push for structural change." Structural racial discrimination affects us all. The asian-averse sentiment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will not disappear anytime soon, and even if a vaccine is developed, it will not help. Tensions between the contradictions between the United States and China will make Asian-Americans uneasy. We have a lesson in this regard, which is the history of the collective imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II. This pandemic has left us all living in fear of personal safety. ”
The increasing incidence of anti-Asia Pacific-American hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic has attracted the attention of U.S. government officials and agencies.
President Trump tweeted in March calling for the protection of Asian-Americans. His tweet said: "It is very important to fully protect our Asian-American community, in the United States and around the world. They are brilliant, and the spread of the virus is not their fault in any way and form. They are working closely with us to eradicate the virus. Together we will win! ”
Agencies such as the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have expressed grave concern and warning about the sharp increase in anti-Asian hate crimes.