Someone I know was the victim of a crime recently. She was beaten and dragged while attempting to stop robbers from stealing her purse. Luckily, she escaped without broken bones and has emerged with her spirit intact.
She sent a note reflecting on the lessons she learnt. One of her observations was about the many bystanders who chose to whip out phones and take videos of the event rather than help her. A couple of her lessons spoke to some of the challenges she (and many other) Asian Americans are dealing with right now.
It’s been a heavy few days in the United States with the many attacks on the Asian/Asian American community.
Perhaps a better way to describe these few days is a heavy few days amidst a heavy few months amidst a heavy few years. Racism and bigotry received a big global “like” for the few years following a series of events in 2016 – with Brexit, various elections in Europe, and the American Presidential election. There’s a price that we all pay for those likes – some more than others.
Fittingly, I’ve been reading “Caste” by Isabel Wilkerson over the past weeks. Isabel Wilkerson draws powerful parallels between the caste system in India and race in the United States. Those parallels ring true.
Now more than ever.
