“The president’s dog whistle is unconscionable and could inspire unthinkable actions and dangerous consequences for families like mine.”
Since COVID-19 started spreading, racist attacks towards Asians have increased globally. Recently, an Asian American man was confronted and almost attacked for coughing at a Bay Area Target.
Trump’s constant usage of “China Virus” instead of COVID-19, the World Health Organization’s official name for it, adds fuel to the racist’s fire and has Asians around the world concerned for their safety.
“When she coughed, I could feel the eyes upon us immediately. The furtive glances pushed me upright in my seat, ready to defend her if I had to. I was sitting right beside her, but even with her coloring in my features, my Irish father’s genes made me separate. And in that moment, being white-passing felt like letting her down when she needed me most.
My mom knew she wasn’t a threat — having not traveled since before the onset of the outbreak and knowing her intermittent cough is a side-effect of the blood pressure medication she takes — but for many people in that room she was. Because of her cough, but also because of her ethnicity.”