Research Guides: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Stop Asian Hate

Photo credit: Mark Liu Ying

The photo above was taken in downtown Houston where people gathered to protest anti-Asian hate following the Georgia shootings on March 16, 2021. The wave of anti-Asian xenophobia is racism in its manifestation. Though not new, Anti-Asian sentiment seriously undermines the foundation of our democracy.

Diversity in the US

AAPIs are active in all walks of life, including news media. Labels and stereotypes on AAPI may cause confusion and damage. The Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders article in Credo Reference is worth reading. The article starts like this:

On a rainy October morning in 2016, Michael Luo stepped out of his church on the Upper East Side of Manhattan with his family and some friends and headed for a Korean restaurant down the street. As the two families clustered outside the restaurant, with a stroller partially blocking the sidewalk, a woman brushed past them.

“Go back to China!” Luo remembers her muttering as she rushed down the block. Luo hesitated for a second and then ran to confront her. “Really? Go back to China?” he said. She pulled out her cell phone and threatened to call the police. As Luo walked away she screamed, “Go back to your f—ing country.”

“I was born in this country!” Luo yelled back.

Stunned.......

Keep Reading

(See Accessing the Databases in left column if you haven't used research databases before.)

Learn More

What is Model Minority Myth?
Model Minority Myth is the stereotype that impacts most on the Asian American students.
Real Stories from Asian Americans Today
Unique experiences and real stories from Asian Americans in straddling two cultures.
What you can do to fight violence and racism against Asian Americans
Asian American community leaders share 8 actions that we can take to help.

Doing What Had to Be Done by Soo-Young Chin; Dora Yum Kim
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Collection: EBSCO Ebook Collection (1 user)
ISBN: 9780585368948
Published: 1999
The first biography of an American-born Korean woman, telling more than one woman's story. The author Soo-Young Chin reflects on how Dora's story relates to her own experience as a Korean American who immigrated to this country as an adult. She carves around Dora's compelling and courageous life story a story of her own and one of all Korean Americans.
American History Unbound by Gary Y. Okihiro
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Collection: Ebook Central (unlimited users)
ISBN: 9780520960305
Published: 2015
A survey of U.S. history from its beginnings to the present; reveals our past through the lens of Asian American and Pacific Islander history. In so doing, it is a work of both history and anti-history, a narrative that fundamentally transforms and deepens our understanding of the United States.
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
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Collection: EBSCO Ebook Collection (1 user)
ISBN: 9780399134203
Published: 1989
Obedience is depicted as a virtue for Chinese daughters and wives. In 1949 four Chinese women-drawn together by the shadow of their past-begin meeting in San Francisco to play mah jong, invest in stocks, eat dim sum, and "say" stories. They call their gathering the Joy Luck Club.
Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
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ISBN: 9781432878924
Published: 2022
"Willis Wu doesn't perceive himself as a protagonist even in his own life: He's merely Generic Asian man. Sometimes he gets to be Background Oriental Making a Weird Face or even Disgraced Son, but he is always relegated to a prop. Yet every day he leaves his tiny room in a Chinatown SRO and enters the Golden Palace restaurant, where Black and White, a procedural cop show, is in perpetual production. He's a bit player here, too, but he dreams of being Kung Fu Guy--the most respected role that anyone who looks like him can attain. At least that's what he has been told, time and time again. Except by one person, his mother. Who says to him: Be more."

Streaming videos from databases and online websites:

From Bhagat Singh Thind to Miss America: South Asian Immigrant Experiences in the U.S.
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Asian Studies – Channel in Academic Video Online
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This channel includes a variety of movie genres on Asian Americans.
Asian American Film
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Five episodes of Asian American film from PBS.

DVDs from the Library:

Most Honorable Son (PBS)
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ISBN: 9780793693757
After the Pearl Harbor attack, Ben Kuroki would be the first Japanese-American war hero, surviving 58 missions as an aerial gunner. But he found himself at the center of controversy, as the lone spokesman against the racism faced by the thousands of Japanese-Americans.
Asian Americans (PBS)
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ISBN: 9781531712099
The story of Asian Americans, spanning 150 years of immigration, racial politics, international relations, and cultural innovation. It is a timely, clear-eyed look at the vital role that Asian Americans have played in defining who we are as a nation. Their stories are a celebration of the grit and resilience of a people that reflects the experience of all Americans.

Hope Against Hate?
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The article discusses a report released by the advocacy group South Asian Americans Leading Together, focusing on hate crimes sparked by anti-Muslim sentiment in the U.S., the size of the South Asian American community in the U.S., and their involvement in government and civil society.
Contagious Virus Stokes Fear, More Hate.
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The article reports that not just the coronavirus but contagious hate is spreading around the country, People of color report an increase in hate crimes, especially towards Asian Americans, but also towards African Americans and Latinos. It mentions spread of xenophobic, racist or anti-Semitic conspiracy theories creates a dangerous political environment that could potentially result in harassment, discrimination, and even violence against targeted groups.
Silent No More
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The article presents information on a mass shooting that occurred in Atlanta, Georgia on March 16, 2021, where majority of the victims were Asian-American women. It discusses the increase in anti-Asian racism in the U.S., statements from social media specialist Mark Kim on hate crimes targeting Asian people in 2021, and a statement from the Cherokee County sheriff's office regarding the reason of the suspect for committing the crime.