Past, Present and Future 02: American Revolution 1 - Andy See the World 《历史，当代和未来 02：美国独立战争 1-安迪看世界》
Channel: Past Present Future - Andy See the World
Date: 2021-12-02

[*** TO CONTRIBUTE HOLISTIC EVIDENCE QUANTIFYING AND TRACING THE LASTING SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS OF SLAVERY AND CORRELATING SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, AS OPPOSED TO RACE, WITH CRIME RATES ***]

The lack of holistic evaluation of historical and modern anti-Blackness leads to potent racism in Asian American communities. I grew up complicit in this deep-seated and destructive issue. After realizing the inherent biases of existing data analyses, I want to bring to light the logical fallacies of misleading arguments to foster interracial understanding and relations.

It was rhetoric I’ve often heard. “Why don’t Black people just work harder?” For years I bought into that logic. My mother went through impossible challenges to establish herself in America, fighting for a school, a job, a Visa. Twenty years later, she was a veteran, surrounded by other Asian American families with similar stories. Yet, outside my Asian bubble, I noticed the disconnect between “you’re a successful immigrant” and “you’re American.” “Hey,” they seem to say, “People of color can be successful. Just be quiet, hard-working, and find a high paying job.” At the same time, they say “Asians are listeners, not leaders.” At the same time, they say to those less successful, “Be more like them! It’s your own fault you aren’t successful.” Asian Americans accepted those stereotypes of a “model minority.” In doing so, we allied ourselves with the rejection of less successful immigrants and the perpetuation of anti-blackness. We became a pillar of white supremacy. 

Meanwhile, many Black Americans regard Asians with the same stereotypes present in popular culture. I see a cycle of misunderstanding and discrimination between Asians and Blacks in the US. During COVID-19, I watched videos of anti-Asian sentiments in black communities leading to name-calling and physical abuse. When ACA5, a proposed amendment to bring racial equity to California college admissions, was approved by the senate, the Asian community cried out in protest. I am uniquely poised within this system of reciprocal racism. 
Asians cited DOJ data [1] indicating Black Americans were more likely to be in poverty and commit crimes. However, these studies are flawed by countless confounding variables: higher police presence in Black communities, the failure of reconstruction, inherent anti-blackness in the police force, and more. College acceptance data demonstrates that Black American students have easier access to top colleges.[2] Yet, this data [3] fails to account for socio-economical and historical circumstances. Ignorance from the lack of holistic information needs to be eradicated. My mind changed after understanding the truth through comprehensive scientific reports [4],[5]. Now, I want to bring that same realization to the Asian community. 
Truth, manifested by objective data, speaks by itself. It is time to construct new identities, understand Black Americans through the lens of historical and current oppression, and use big data and statistics to tangibly quantify the lasting impacts of slavery, Jim Crow Laws, and perpetual discrimination against black populations. I want to contribute holistic evidence quantifying and tracing the lasting socioeconomic impacts of slavery and correlating socioeconomic status, as opposed to race, with crime rates. Only then can we take steps towards modifying Asian Americans’ and, more broadly, worldwide perception of Black Americans.

Works Cited 
[1] https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/crime/ucr.asp?table_in=2
[2] https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2017/08/07/look-data-and-arguments- about-asian-americans-and-admissions-elite
[3] https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2019/09/24/minority-and-first- generation-sat-scores-fall-behind
[4] https://civic.mit.edu/2019/10/02/whose-deaths-matter-new-research-on-black-lives-matter- and-media-attention/
[5] https://academic.oup.com/sf/article/90/3/713/2235802
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References and Credit for:
[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G4sa5uE0w7UdzsTvAehx1cjaJ2L0XaJ0moPxWbZBYBM/edit?usp=sharing]
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