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George Floyd: Yale student urges Asian-Americans to tackle racism in their own communities
- ‘We Asian-Americans have long perpetuated anti-black statements and stereotypes,’ 20-year-old Eileen Huang says in open letter
- Time is ripe for Asian-Americans to reflect on the roles they play in helping to maintain a system of white supremacy, academic says
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After the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, Yale University student Eileen Huang decided to write an open letter to Chinese-Americans in the United States, urging them to support the Black Lives Matter movement and consider the problem of racism in their own communities.
“I specifically want to address the rampant anti-blackness in the Asian-American community that, if unchecked, can bring violence to us all,” the 20-year-old wrote.
“We Asian-Americans have long perpetuated anti-black statements and stereotypes. I grew up hearing relatives, family friends and even my parents make … racist comments.
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“The message was clear,” she said. “We are the model minority – doctors, lawyers, quiet and obedient overachievers. We have little to do with other people of colour; we will even side with white Americans to degrade them.”
The letter was published – in English, Mandarin and Korean on Chineseamerican.org, and in Mandarin only on WeChat – on May 31, six days after Floyd’s death and as mass demonstrations were taking place in cities across the US.
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Since then, similar rallies and protests have happened around the world, with widespread calls for an end to racism and police brutality.
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‘Anti-blackness is something deeply rooted in my community,’ says student Eileen Huang
‘Anti-blackness is something deeply rooted in my community,’ says student Eileen Huang
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