How Asian-American Leaders Are Grappling With Xenophobia Amid Coronavirus vs Black History

[Ish Gibor]

Andrew Yang speaks out on “hate crimes” against Asians, unlike Black politicians do.

 

[Professor Emeritus]

Where is the memorandum condemning and combating racism, xenophobia and intolerance against Black Americans?

Memorandum Condemning and Combating Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States | The White House

If meaningless statements are what you're really into, there have been a couple of those already in this administration.

Statement by President Joe Biden On Black History Month | The White House

Remarks by President Biden at Signing of an Executive Order on Racial Equity | The White House

 

[Ish Gibor]

If meaningless statements are what you're really into, there have been a couple of those already in this administration.

It was already dissected by The Black Authority. And as Black people we need to stop being delusional.

1-30-2021: The Executive Orders For Blacks Get Flipped



2-1-2021: How Old Blacks Sold Out The Young

Statement by President Joe Biden On Black History Month | The White House

"In the Biden-Harris Administration, we are committed to finishing the work left undone and fulfilling the promise of America for Black families and communities and for all Americans.

We bring to our work a seriousness of purpose and urgency to contain the pandemic, deliver economic relief to tens of millions of Americans, and advance racial justice and equity across the board in health care, education, housing, our economy, our environment, our justice system, and in our electoral process."

Remarks by President Biden at Signing of an Executive Order on Racial Equity | The White House

"Black and Latino Americans are dying of COVID-19 at rates nearly three times that of white Americans. And it’s not white Americans’ fault, but it’s just a fact. And the Americans now know it, especially younger Americans.
[…]
That’s why I issued, among the first days, my whole-of-government executive order that will, for the first time, advance equity for all throughout our federal policies and institutions. It focuses on the full range of communities who have been long underserved and overlooked: people of color; Americans with disabilities; LGBTQ Americans; religious minorities; rural, urban, suburban communities facing persistent poverty."

 

[Ish Gibor]

• Chinese Americans and ex-pats from China donated more than $80,000 to the Proud Boys, a report says.
• The group was crowdfunding to pay for medical expenses after a clash with BLM protesters.
• Donors said they sent money because they felt that America was under attack from communism.

The far-right group Proud Boys allegedly received more than $80,00 in donations from Chinese Americans and the broader Chinese diaspora a month before the Capitol riot, according to a report by USA Today.

The money was sent as part of a crowdfunding effort to help the Proud Boys pay for medical expenses after four people were stabbed in Washington DC in December 2020 during a confrontation with Black Lives Matter protesters (officials did not comment on which group the injured individuals belonged to at the time).

The fundraiser was set up on the Christian fundraising site GiveSendGo on December 17, five days after the incident.

The crowdfunding effort raised a total of $106,107 - 80% of which came from American Asians and the broader Chinese diaspora, according to USA Today, which obtained data from the whistleblower site Distributed Denial of Secrets.

The investigation tracked some donations to addresses in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Several donors who spoke to USA Today said they had sent money to the Proud Boys because they supported Former President Donald Trump, and felt that America was under attack from communism, a claim often touted by right-wing commentators, including conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

The donors also told the paper they felt the Proud Boys were protecting the country from antifa and the Black Lives Matter protesters.

"You have to understand how we feel - we came from communist China and we managed to come here and we appreciate it here so much," said Rebecca Kwan, who donated $500, USA Today reported. "The Proud Boys are for Trump, and they are fighting antifa, and can you see anything good that antics did except destroy department stores and small businesses?"

Another donor, Donald Wang from New York, who donated $50 to the organization, told USA Today: "The Proud Boys are protecting the innocent people. A lot of people in my community support them."

The Proud Boys were among the mob who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, which resulted in the deaths of five people, including a police officer. At least 21 of its members have since been charged with federal crimes for their roles in the attack.

The chairman of the far-right organization, Enrique Tarrio, said in a statement to USA Today: "I am happy that Asians support the Proud Boys because of the continuous hate and the relentless assault they get from BLM supporters. So to the Asian community, I'd like to say Thank You."

In February, Tarrio was unmasked as a former FBI informant, leading some chapters of the organization to distance themselves from the central leadership.

The FBI described the Proud Boys as an "extremist group with ties to white nationalism." The agency's director, Christopher Wray, said in a testimony before Congress last year he wished the FBI had been better able to penetrate the group ahead of the riot.

According to an NBC News poll from November, 63 percent of Asian Americans across the country voted for President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

However, 31 percent still voted for Trump despite the fact the former president frequently used xenophobic and discriminatory language while referring to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the terms "kung flu" and "China virus."

In the last few months, anti-Asian sentiment across the country has also contributed to a rise in xenophobic hate crimes.

(Sophia Ankel, May 8, 2021, Chinese-Americans poured more than $80,000 into a Proud Boy crowdfunder before Jan 6 insurrection)

 

[Ish Gibor]

Reckoning with Asian America
Jennifer Lee, Tiffany J. Huang

Science 02 Apr 2021:
Vol. 372, Issue 6537, pp. 8
DOI: 10.1126/science.abi6877

Reckoning with Asian America