2020 found students dealing with a variety of challenges. Novel Coronavirus-19 spread globally and in order to protect ourselves, we needed to change our lives dramatically. Additionally, George Floyd, an African-American man died as law enforcement officers detained him, one with his knee on Floyd’s neck. Floyd’s death sparked protests and riots around the nation and the world. With the world’s attention focused on these horrifying events, the way some middle school students are experiencing the repercussions have gone unnoticed, though we think they should be heard. Here, Samantha W. tells her story:
As a young Chinese girl living through a pandemic, life hasn’t been the easiest. Having a president who blames China for COVID-19 has had an impact on my life. My life as a teenager is pretty simple. I wake up and find myself sitting at my desk, staring at a computer screen. I juggled online school and a president insulting my race. My family and I like to watch the news when we eat dinner just to know what’s going on in the world. Our appetite is spoiled from listening to President Trump using racial slurs such as “Chinavirus” and “Kung Flu” and encouraging other American citizens to use them as well.
It was stressful and upsetting for the first couple of months. I would go outside to get groceries with my parents only to receive glares and words that broke my heart. My father held his head up high and proud, but my mother didn’t pay attention to what others said. I’m a rather sensitive person, so my eyes started to water as I heard the same words over and over. “Look at that family. Why are they here?” Looks of disgust were also things I noticed that people said or did. There have been times I cried myself to sleep and acted like everything was fine the next morning.
But things never really got better for us people of color. Other Asians were getting attacked for “carrying the coronavirus” and our elderly are still being targeted. An elderly man in San Francisco who was on a bus getting home was assaulted for being Chinese. Another elderly Thai man was shoved on the ground when he was taking a walk. He was pronounced dead in the hospital a couple days later. Thankfully, this situation has caught the eyes of those who care. Volunteers have been helping our elderly in any way possible to get them to be safe.
To this day, I still wonder why the Asian race is always brushed under the rug. Especially in a situation like this where people have been assaulted, bullied, and killed. Even though we live in a small town, I have been bullied because of my race. It was an incident that only happened twice, but it will forever scar my life.
Currently, other Asians and I are trying to educate others and make people aware of the struggles we’ve been through. I really hope we can change something this time.
“Unlearn Racism 1” by Overpass Light Brigade is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
Sources: (old man getting attacked for being Chinese) https://abc7news.com/video-elderly-asian-man-attacked-while-collecting-cans-in-san-francisco/5964588/ (84 year old thai man killed) https://www.ktvu.com/news/family-of-84-year-old-killed-in-sf-believe-attack-was-racially-motivated (volunteers helping out elderly asians) https://abc7.com/attacks-against-asian-americans-racist-racism-american-pacific-islanders/10345680/
Note: The student author of this post, Samantha W., wrote her first draft in December of 2020. Since then, violence against Asian Americans has increased in our country. CNN Opinion, March 18, 2021, NBC News, March 16, 2021, by Kimmy Yam, The New York Times, March 18, 2021, by Nicole Hong and Jonah E. Bromwich.
You can be part of the solution by joining other Americans in taking action to fight violence and racism against Asian Americans. Here are eight specific things you can do: PBS Article: 8 Actions You Can Take to Fight Racism Against Asian Americans.
Samantha, I really admire that you are speaking your truth in a bold way. It takes people who are willing to tell their stories to make a difference. It is also telling that you saw this discrimination and violence months ago but that it hasn’t stopped yet. I hope citizens will continue to get involved in finding a solution to this sad state of affairs.
I like how they are expressing a real world problem, that needs to be addressed. A lot of people don’t know about the discrimination against colored people, and i am glad that people take time out of their day to express this problem
I personally thought that it was really well written and it shows a true perspective of today’s world right now. Thank you for talking about discrimination against Asians and you’re really brave.
I’m glad there is someone speaking up about the discrimination around the world right now. Especially a student.
Samantha, I really enjoy how you spoke out about this huge thing that’s going on in the world. You’re very brave to speak out. Ever since this target against Asians, especially to our elders, my family and I have been scared to even leave home. I’m always cautious to my family and also would like to make a big change to this world.
The hate towards Asian is a disgusting act. Many people see Asians like all Asiain’s are people who have COVID-19. I hope people will stop doing this.
I really liked on how you talked about this situation. It takes a lot of effort to make a post about a controversial topic and you took on it in a perfect way.
I love that you’ve made a blog about this problem because not enough people know, or don’t care. As a fellow Asian American, it hurts to know that other Asians are being treated this way for something that they could not control. I see many videos talking about Asian hate crimes and I could never watch all the way through it because it’d hurt too much. Thank you for spreading this information, we need to shed more light on this discrimination.
Thank you Samantha for speaking up on this issue and sharing your story. Your writing was moving and heart-felt. This made me think about how rooted and normalized discrimination towards Asians is in our society. It takes courage to speak on topics like these and I applaud you for it.
Samantha, I love that you are speaking out about this. I can relate to your story because I am a person of color and though my expirences are different I feel I have some connection to your story.
Samantha, I admire you coming out to speak up about such a strong and bold subject. It really shows how dangerous and unfair discrimination is.
The article was very good. It is shocking to hear about how people would treat you and I’m really sorry about that. I’m glad that you and your friends are trying to stand up to racism, I think it’s very brave. I am 1/2 Asian, and it shocks me to hear about what you’ve been through when nothing has ever happened to me like that. Thank you for talking about this important topic, I think a lot of people need to read this.
Thank you so much for sharing this Samantha. It’s horrible that anyone should have to deal with racism, but it is nice to have another person’s views on the topic. Asians shouldn’t be discriminated against, especially because the Covid wasn’t anyone’s fault. Your story was inspiring and I want more people to hear it so that we can all get a step closer to getting rid of racism for good.
I really love how you weren’t afraid to let your voice be heard about all the things that have been going on around the world we live in. It takes courage to do that when people nowadays get judged right away without even doing anything wrong. Thank you for talking about the abuse to elderly Asians because I have only read about the things that have happened, but you have opened my eyes to read more about it.
Thank you for providing me with your insight on this topic. As an Asian American myself, I can defiantly relate to the glares and the hatred towards Asian Americans. I was wondering about the people who got physically attacked. I have never experienced that, however, I feel it is extremely unfair. Thank you for sharing your point of view.
Hi Samantha, I appreciate this post of yours because it deals with today’s current events of discrimination towards Asians. To be honest, I’ve been unaware about these situations, and now that I’ve learned about them, I want to see what I can do to help. This post makes me want to learn more about what’s happening in the world right now. Thank you for speaking out about this topic.
Samantha, I think this article was extremely well written. As a teenager today these are not things you should have to worry about and because of people’s disgusting behavior, they are. It’s honestly so disgusting to see society acting this way and I hope they realize how sickening their behavior really is.Thank you for speaking about this topic again really it was so well written and so well detailed.
To be completely honest, I didn’t think that Asian culture got this much hate. Growing up, I always saw classmates being proud of their heritage and there was a lot of appreciation for things like anime and Asian snacks. However, from reading this I now see that that doesn’t necessarily apply to the adults in our world. Thank you for taking time to write this post in such detail and speaking out about your views. Hopefully because of it we might be able to make a difference.
Greetings, Samantha! I respect your courage in speaking your mind. Making a difference requires people who are able to share their experiences. It’s also telling that you experienced the bigotry and abuse months ago but it hasn’t ended. I hope that people will continue to engage in seeking a solution to this devastating situation.
I really appreciate you writing this article because many of these situations have been happening around the world. I love how you use your voice to speak out on discrimination.
The way you wrote this is remarkable, Samantha. This has helped me realize how unfairly people treat each other just because of someone else of the same race did. Thank you for your insight, and for giving everyone a better perception on how much discrimination is happening.
HA I feel you. Being an Asian is awesome but the way people like Trump treat us is absurd. I went to San Francisco and we crossed pass with these who saw us and right away just started being rude and talking under their breath saying things like “this is their fault”and bump into us on purpose.
Hi Samantha, through your words and ways of describing, I understood your anger on the current events of what’s happening today. I appreciate this post greatly, thank you for speaking up about this. For someone who can’t express their emotions and thoughts into words, I’m glad and thankful that someone is trying to educate others on this. I hope we can talk more in the future and thank you for educating me.
I like how brave you are with speaking up and making sure this topic is more widely known. It is really disheartening to know that this is still going on, but I appreciate how you took time to try and educate others.
This is a beautifully written post Samantha. Not many people are able to stand up and speak out, and thanks to you, many will be enlightened on the racial injustice that affects many in this country. Reading this, I thought of my friends, many of whom are Asian. If this is what some of the things they have to go through, then right now I should be doing my part to ease their pain and at least shoulder some of the burden. Thank you for writing this. We need more voices like yours that speak openly and boldly so that others can hear it and address the fact that America still has many places for improvement to become the place our Founding Fathers envisioned.
This was a very good and well detailed story and I agree that we need to stop racism all around.
I wasn’t aware of some of the things you mentioned in your post, you helped me to become more aware in this subject and helped me get a better idea of what is going on in the world
Racism is terrible. It takes a lot of strength to tell about your story and talk about the injustice you are facing. Thank you for using your voice and boldly talk about how Asians are being mistreated. I don’t think I could ever do something like this, so I think you’re really brave.
Thank you Samantha for speaking about this topic. You are very brave about sharing your own painful experience with others and I admire that about you.
It’s really brave and courageous for you to speak out about this matter. I can relate to some of it, and it can be very bothering sometimes. People shouldn’t have to go through this, but instead be treated with kindness and respect. This is very educational and I appreciate you writing this.
Thank you for sharing your story. I feel that Asian hate should be stopped and that no race should get bullied, or killed or hated upon, and that we should all love each even though we look different form each other, we are still human.
Samantha, thank you for writing this post! I appreciate you sharing your story. It is an amazing post that should be shared. This has definitely made me think about our world and all of the people that have been hurt by unkind words and actions.
This a very instructive post you’ve written. Thank you for attempting to make a difference to people that do not know or care about these events. Hopefully, your stories will touch those people’s hearts, and they will understand and change their ways. Asian hate has gotten to a point where it is very difficult to leave home as an Asian American. I am deeply concerned that you, too, have dealt with this, and I want you to know that I am also a person who wants change.
Thank you Samantha for using your voice and informing people of these saddening events. It a was very relatable in what you have said and felt and I hope that Asian hate will be stopped. I love your courage and bravery and I think you speak for all people of color. Your words made me think of how our generation is so empowering, and you are an amazing example. Thank you again for informing us about this topic. Stay brave.
Samantha, this is a very eye-opening post that has proven evidence about injustices people of color have faced. I am disgusted that one of our own presidents has spoken out in a harsh way towards Asian-Americans and their culture. I, myself am part filipino on my mother’s side and it so hurtful to see these people bullied for something they can’t control. So, thank you again for using your voice to project to others the severeness of this harassment whether it is vocal or physical.
Thank you so much for being brave to post this message Samantha. I heard similar stories about Asian discrimination and I don’t think it is fair. We are all humans and we should all be treated equally. I am hoping that in the future people will know that the Asian race is incredible as others. I appreciate you informing others about this event so we can learn about discrimination.
I appreciate the time you took to let more people know of other problems going on right now like racism towards the Asian community. It made me sad to hear some of the stories you shared like how the discrimination has even reached injuring and killing elderly people.
Thank you for speaking about your experiences, it made me better understand what many people go through on a daily basis.
This is very instructive I am glad that you informed me on this topic my eyes have been open from this.
I really appreciate how you wrote about this. I don’t watch the news, so I don’t know everything that is going on in the world right now. This post helped me understand how all Americans need to stand up against injustice. I hope racism ends soon, but, since I have read this, until it does end, I will try to do my part to end it.
Hi Samantha! Your perspectives and experiences truly matter and the emotions you described hit too close to home. Thank you for doing our community justice as each and every one of us have something meaningful to share. Great job, eloquently spoken, and kudos for helping our community shatter myths and stereotypes and shining light on the liberation against white supremacy in our country. Much love!
Samantha, this post was wonderfully written. It made me really think about the people that I know that are in the Asian community. It makes me incredibly sad that they have to endure such nasty and frightening things. The way that you described what happened to you and your family was very enlightening to what was happening even in our community. Thank you for being brave enough to speak out about this. Thank you for teaching people about these things. And thank you for showing your voice and sharing your own personal story for us to read.
Samantha, my heart goes out to you and your family, you or anybody doesn’t deserve to go through such harsh situations. Thank you for sharing your story! I knew there was hate against Asians going around, but this made me really think about exactly how bad it is, I honestly never realized. Samantha you are amazing your race is what makes you unique, don’t forget that. Thanks again for sharing!
Honestly, sometimes I got scared whenever I go shopping with my parents because I get anxious that we might be attacked out of no where. I appreciate you making this post Samantha and bringing it to more people’s attention.
I really appreciate this article for shining a light on Asian discrimination. I thank you for informing me and many others about what is going on. Thank you for speaking up and making this topic more widely known.
I admire your bravery and courage to speak your mind, Samantha. As I read this article, I was thinking about my friends and it made my heart ache thinking they might be experiencing something similar. Whatever has happened is wrong, but with people like you, there is hope for change.
This post is really eye opening to what is happening around the world, and even in our own town. It is so amazing how you were confident enough and brave enough to put yourself on here and talk about what is happening to your family and others. This must have been very hard to write about and hard to read those articles telling of what has happened. You writing this has educated many others and has made us think about our own actions and also how we can help.
Hi Samantha! I really appreciate you writing about this topic and I admire you for sharing your personal experiences. I am one of those people who have a hard time sharing my opinions and speaking up for what’s not acceptable. Therefore, I applaud you for speaking out and enlightening the ones around you about such an important topic. It makes me so sad that this type of behavior and discrimination is going on right now, but educating others on this situation is one small step in the right direction. Once again, thank you for being so brave and letting your voice be heard. I appreciate the information presented and I have a better understanding of what is happening in this cruel world.
I am glad that there is someone speaking up to racism. It is brave of you to speak up to many racist people in this world.
I really do agree with this post. It takes an incredible amount of energy and confidence to make a blog this catching to others, I have not realized how the amount of hate against Asian culture has been increasing until now and I am exceedingly glad somebody, especially a student, is sharing their thoughts about the discrimination against Asian culture.
I am happy to know that someone is talking out and making their voice heard about discrimination. It is even more moving to know that it is a student talking out as well.
Thank you for pointing out on this issue. I find this very relatable. At one point, my grandma had gotten worried for our family to go out to get ice cream near evening since she had heard about the news. This makes me think about how issues like these ARE or seem like they are being swept under the rug.
Samantha, I am glad you wrote this blog and told everyone how you feel about this horrible event in the world. It really makes me feel sad about how people are so racist and unkind towards Asians and many others. Thank you for informing people about this.
I find this post really powerful. Samantha does a really good job getting her point across and, being an Asian myself, I can agree and relate with a lot of what she says. The post was very true and very sad to read, but it’s important to enlighten people to the situations of others.
Thank you for sharing your story. I can’t even begin to imagine the amount of courage it took to let alone write this, but put it out for the world to see. Educating the people around us is one of the most important things we can do during these times to promote change. I am so sorry you and other people of color experience these disgusting acts of racism. What you are doing is changing the world.
I appreciate that you are speaking out about this. No one should have to endure this, and everyone should be treated with respect. Whoever is treating others this way are immature and rude.
I appreciate you addressing the situation. From my experience, I have faced people discriminating against me because I am Asian. I hope we can all work together to spread awareness about how people are treating us and make changes.
Samantha, I really appreciate you writing this. Thank you for talking about your story and for speaking out. It is really eye-opening to see what is happening in the world. I’m Chinese also, and it sucks seeing the Asian community go through this. Hopefully someday we can end racism for all people of color.
Thank you for speaking out about Asian hate. It makes me think how Asian hate is just rising.
Thank you so much for making this post. I really appreciate how you speak out about this issue! As an Asian-American myself, I relate to the fear of going to places due to hate crimes and viscous attacks targeted at us.
Samantha, I am truly sorry that those things have happened to you. You are incredibly brave for speaking up. Everything that you have said is all correct. Discrimination against anyone is not, and will never be ok. Life for everyone is already difficult. They don’t need this to add on. Changes need to happen.
Samantha- I want to thank you for sharing your voice here for us to see. This post was an eye-opener for not just me but several other classmates. It is truly saddening to realize that people-young and old- have had or continue to have to go through this. This world needs change, and you being brave enough to share your story, to explain why this world needs change, is inspiring. Thank you for sharing your story.
I strongly agree with this post. As another Chinese American, I can agree that there are harsh things said about us. I am not a very sensitive person and I don’t let things get to my head but I understand some people do. I am glad you spoke out about this and praise your bravery.
I agree with this so much and know how much it took you to put the effort and thought into making this whole article, including showing facts and how it effects you and others. It really is inspiring.
Thank you for being brave enough to speak up against discrimination. No one should have to be afraid of leaving their home because of who they are. I hope that you and your family are doing well.
Hello Samantha, I like how brave you are in sharing your personal experiences with the world, and how brave you are. This shows me that all of us young ones have a voice.
As of recent, I’ve observed that racism against Asian people is more widely accepted and less criticized in America. More often than it should be, racism against Asian people has been treated like a joke and less valid then racism against other groups. I’ve even seen some of my former black friends act in a racist manner towards Asians. This angers me more than anything, since black people also face discrimination, yet too many of us act hypocritical and do heinous things towards other minorities. I will never stand for the looks people give you or the things people say to you, because I know how it feels.
Hi Samantha! I think it’s brave of you to write this post and share with others about your thoughts and feelings. Reading your post has made me think of how unaware I am of the outside world. I didn’t even know that Asians were being insulted. Thank you for informing me about this topic. I’m so glad I got to know about this and your thoughts about it. I’m a Chinese American and hearing about Asians being attacked and ridiculed makes me sad. Thanks for bringing awareness to this subject.
Im glad someone is speaking about this, and surprisingly a kid, this is very true and I agree.
I appreciate you, Samantha, for this article. I haven’t realized the amount of hate the Asian culture has been getting and I am glad that a student is brave enough to speak up about it.
Hey Samantha, I really appreciate you talking about discrimination against minorities. It’s great to see that someone at our age is standing up to things outside of school that involve standing up for something as big as racism. I’ve been hearing about these attacks and like you, have been called names and racial slurs that keep me up at night. Standing up for myself has never been my strong suit, but I’m very grateful for the words you have spoken.
Samantha, I understand what you’re going through. I myself am partially Asian, so I know what it’s like to be looked down on or made fun of from back where I lived in the Bay Area. I am so proud of you for being able to discuss such heavy topics, and speak up about what is happening in our neighbooring communities. It’s personally made me extremly upset that you as a teenager have to be dealing with racism. Thank you for sharing, Samantha, and I hope that you personally feel better. One day this world be better. Small steps, but slowly it will get better.
Thank you for tell us your thoughts on discrimination and racism. I agree with everything you said, and i’m sorry you are going through it. It’s sad that people can’t put themselves in other’s shoes and except that everyone is just as human as you are. I’m also really glad that someone our age is speaking up about this, something that even some adults can’t see.
I agree with this post. I am glad you are able to speak up and say something because it is not ok what some people are saying to you. Samantha you did an amazing job writing this! You are a very brave and strong human being!
Samantha, I am so sorry that you went through this. Thank you for sharing your story and spreading awareness for this issue. You are very brave for speaking up.
This needed to be said. Unlearn Racism! You did a great job with this writing and you are heard.