Items

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  06/11/2021

  Carmen Caamaño Morua Oral History, 2021/06/11

  En esta entrevista Carmen Caamaño Morua es entrevistado por Carmen Kordick Coury concerniente al covid-19 en Costa Rica. Carmen es profesora en la Universidad de Costa Rica y vive en San José. Habla de su trabajo virtual en la universidad, del crisis de la salud mental y de la gente que cree en las teorías de la conspiración. Carmen habla de la relación entra las ciencias y la religión y como eso afecta los sentimientos hacia la vacuna. Habla de la xenofobia, el racismo y el clasismo. También habla de las vacunas y la respuesta del gobierno. Para terminar, Carmen habla del gobierno, la economía y las noticias.
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  04/21/2021

  Pa Cha Vang Oral History, 2021/04/21

  Pa Cha Vang is a student at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She graduated high school during the pandemic. In this interview, Pa Cha discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected her, including moving from Winona, Minnesota to Minneapolis during the pandemic, finishing high school and starting college, and what she does on a daily basis. She describes how she stays in touch with her friends and family. She also describes her experience with the vaccine and volunteering at a vaccine clinic. Pa Cha also shares her concerns about the pandemic and mental health, and she touches on her personal experience with racism during this period.
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  2021-03-27

  Stop Asian Hate!

  The rise in Asian hate crimes has gone hand in hand with COVID. This certainly was not helped by the previous administration continually referring to COVID as “China Flu” or “Kung Flu.” One of the more horrifying things is how close to home these incidents are happening. Just this month, there were two attacks at a local park on Asian Americans. One was on a Japanese-American Olympian, who was in training. The other was on an elderly Korean-American couple. I live in Southern CA, which has the third highest proportion of the population identifying as Asian, yet even here, racism and racially motivated violent crimes are happening. If there is any positive that is coming out of this, it is the honest conversations we’re having with our children about race. In light of George Floyd and similar situations, the immigrant population at the border, and anti-Asian crimes, our kids are engaged in an active dialogue about equity, prejudice, racism and our response to it. My children are proud to be Asian-American and seeing that pride and them use their voices, even in a small way, makes me hopeful for positive change. Like their signs say, they are proud to be Asian AND American, and to love them like people love Asian food! Oh yeah, and in this pandemic year, a reminder that they are not a virus.
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  2021-03-21

  ‘Asian-American businesses are dealing with two viruses’

  Reeling from racist incidents, many are hurting financially during COVID-19. The Atlanta-area spa shootings of eight people, six of whom were Asian women, have drawn renewed attention to anti-Asian incidents that have grown in frequency during the pandemic. As documented incidents of harassment, assault and discrimination against Asian Americans have escalated during COVID-19, many groups within the community have also faced heightened financial strain. Advocates say it’s beyond time to acknowledge and take action on both.
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  2020-06-25

  'I Will Not Stand Silent.' 10 Asian Americans Reflect on Racism During the Pandemic and the Need for Equality

  Asian Americans recount their experiences of the racism they face, being scapegoated as the cause of the virus. The aggression come in the forms of racial slurs, rude behavior, and physical violence. Many cite the rhetoric of Donald Trump and his insistence to refer to COVID-19 as the "Chinese flu" or "Kung flu" as justifying such behavior. These stories help illustrate the difficult experiences within the AAPI community.
• 
  2020

  Asian American Experiences of Racism during COVID-19

  Over the past few months, the rise in xenophobic actions, racism, and violence against the AAPI community have been on the rise. Mainstream and fringe social media have perpetuated stereotypes and have scapegoated Asians as the cause of COVID-19. This rise in race and ethnically motivated hate happens alongside police brutality and anti-Black racism. Educators and parents should educate themselves and open conversations with their children and students about anti-racism.
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  2021-02-13

  Protect Asian American Communities

  Cries from within the Asian American community call for protection as the amount of hate crimes against the AAPI community continues to rise.
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  2021-03-17

  A Reminder of the Realities of the Asian Women in My Life

  On my way out to work today, my sister told me she loved me. It was an "I love you" filled with fear and uncertainty. I felt her words echo in my chest and I still feel them ringing in me as I write this post. Every Asian woman that I know and care about has experienced being undermined, fetishized, and harassed for being an Asian woman. For several of my close friends, this has led to sexual violence. I think that is why yesterday’s mass shooting targeting Asian massage parlors hit so hard for me. In his own words, he wanted to “eliminate the source of his temptations.” It takes a lot more than " being at the end of your rope" or “having a really bad day” for someone to commit such a heinous crime. Believing Asian women are submissive and hyper-sexual, calling covid “kung-flu” or the “china virus”, and taunting Asian women with “me love you long time” has real consequences. It dehumanizes Asian women and makes them objects. Objects are easier to harass, sexually assault, and kill. We can not dismiss racism, misogyny, and xenophobia against Asians anymore. Lives are at stake.
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  2020-04-15

  Racist Meme

  This racist meme, posted on the Facebook page "French Canadian Memes," highlights the prejudice displayed by many Canadians at the beginning of the pandemic
• 2021-01-12

  Cause of Covid-19

  I think that this virus was transmitted from some animal (likely from a bat). It may have come from China and now is causing major xenophobia against Asians which is totally wrong. There are definitely a lot of just plain stupid ideas that some weird people have come up with. But I trust scientists more than some middle-aged conspiracists. It does happen where an animal sickness can transfer to human, even though it's rare. I think when it got transferred, the strain adapted to humans and is now causing all of this. Once in a while, a sickness like this shows up. This may not have been one of the worst, but, that doesn't make the deaths any less valid.
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  2020-02-28

  COVID-19 and Discrimination in Nova Scotia

  A news release from the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission asking Nova Scotians to be vigilant against discrimination based on ethnic or national origin as global health concerns heighten.
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  2020-06-28

  Prince Edward Island sees rise in anti-outsider sentiment as COVID-19 travel restrictions ease

  This new article speaks to the anti-outsider sentiment in Prince Edward Island, which even manifested itself in their provincial legislature, according to this piece.
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  2020

  The Atlantic Provinces Defend the Bubble Against Quebec

  In this meme, the Atlantic provinces prepare to defend themselves against visitors from Quebec.
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  2020-06-25

  Xenophobia and COVID-19.

  When looking for social injustice stories to add to the archives, I wanted to add the social injustice Asian Americans continue to experience during COVID-19. The Coronavirus has been referred to as the “Chinese Virus” and the “Kung Flu.” Xenophobia during a virus is not new. New York Times interviewed Asian Americans to share their experiences and to document the racial injustice occurring in the United States.
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  2020-09-08

  Are American Values being lived up to today?

  This essay was produced as a part of the American Studies program at California High School in San Ramon, California. The essay is in response to the prompt "Is America currently living up to its core values?" This essay argues how the values of equality and the right to protest are not being lived up to by Americans today. It also includes references to the following modern events: The core values of equality and the right to protest are not being lived up to today. Today, COVID-19 pandemic is spreading and normalizing racial inequality towards Asians. The president is adding on to this situation by constantly using the terms "China Virus" and "Kung FLu" even when many people pointed it out to him that it was considered racist. Additionally, the Black Lives Matter movement helps to support how the law enforcement is violating the basic right to protest. Peaceful protesters gathered to show their support for blm however the police dispersed the crowds by using excessive force.
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  2020-05-31

  Reflection From a High School Student

  As an Asian American, attacks like these are infuriating and spread only hate and racism. My family and I are scared to go out because we are afraid something like this would happen. In today's society, racial inequality and xenophobia still exist. This pandemic is worsening the tensions that are already occurring. In addition to this, there are many riots and protests that are happening near my neighborhood due to the death of George Floyd. My social media is filled with the Black Lives Matter Movement and many horrific actions that are taking place. As a high school student, I thought I would only have to worry about AP exams, virtual prom, and online schooling. However, there are so many concerning issues and violent events that I can't ignore. Everything feels surreal and absolutely crazy.
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  2020-03-16

  End Violence

  This picture if relevant to what is happening to Asian Americans, they face hate crimes almost everyday ever since the outbreak of COVID-19. As a young student who is proud to be an Asian, living in America suddenly sounds like a scary reality that we don't want to face, afraid to be suddenly attack by people who believe Asians are the reason there is a global pandemic.
• 2020-03-06

  Not the Only Thing To Spread

  Time Magazine's website put out an article on how as the Coronavirus spreads, so does Xenophobia and Racism towards Asian races and cultures.
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  2020-04-22

  Readying for Invasion: How the rhetoric of “Invasive Species” prepares us to be on the defensive

  This is a picture of Japanese Wineberry, surrounded by Lesser Celadine, a European species of buttercup. Both species are introduced. Lately, I have been taking a lot of walks. Getting out of the home is a luxury, now more than ever. As I walk, I have been trying to better familiarize myself with the world around me. What does it consist of? What do I recognize, what don’t I? What are the flora and fauna I am surrounded by that I fail to give my attention? I have been using the Seek app by iNaturalist to gain a better grasp of these species. What has been most striking, for me are the number of “introduced” species that exist around me. My sister and I have been making pesto out of garlic mustard, an introduced species from Europe. Brought over to be a spice, garlic mustard knows no bounds; now that I have seen it once, I see it everywhere. But we don’t readily recognize many European plants as invasive. From the beloved honey bee, to the seemingly integral “earthworm,” to the iconic Kentucky bluegrass – these species have been naturalized – on our landscapes and in our minds. As Alfred Crosby has pointed out, the introduction of species is key to ecological imperialism. And yet, in popular consciousness, we are relatively comfortable with Europe’s legacy of plants and animals that populate our landscapes. It is currently species from Asia – the Emerald Ash Borer, the stinkbug, the spotted lanternfly – that are branded “invasive,” that are campaigned against, and remarked upon for the havoc they wreak to the environment – especially the European environment that exists within America – when the grapes and stone fruit are eaten by the lanternfly. What happens when the introduced European environment is challenged by the introduced Asian environment? And what are we doing by labeling certain species “invasive” while seeing others as natural, when none of them are native to the land? We are preparing to be on the defensive. We are articulating rhetoric that builds consciousness and prepare us to be readily distrustful of Asia, to see the region as generative of harmful things that threaten the United States. We don’t see invasive species so much as a result of trade, and interaction, but rather as an “invasion” – a takeover – a biotic war waged in flora and fauna. What shifts within us when we recognize our environments as patchworks? As the knitted together histories of migration, immigration, exoticization, xenophobia. When we look at introduced species as memories, do we value them more? Do we begin to see ourselves become medleys of time and space, situated in the histories of other people’s choices? This is not to advocate on the behalf of introduced species, because I understand they can be particularly damaging to the environment. Rather, I challenge the word choice, and the placement of blame. I argue that understanding our history, and perhaps the ethnobiotic routes of the past, present, and future trajectory of species will help us undo this nationalist rhetoric, that prepares us to be suspicious, prepares us to be on the defensive, prepares us to blame Asia, or specifically China, for a wrongdoing. Perhaps this will allow us to situate the blame of our current crisis on inequalities specific to the U.S., and to failures specific to the state.