What it's like to be Asian during the
coronavirus pandemic
By USA Today, adapted by Newsela staff on 04.14.20
Word Count 928
Level 1040L
Jessica Wong (front left), Jenny Chiang (center) and Sheila Vo (right) from the Massachusetts Asian American Commission protest racism
aimed at Asian American communities across the United States amid the coronavirus pandemic on March 12, 2020, in Boston,
Massachusetts. Photo: Steven Senne/AP Photo
Carl Chan was out shopping in San Francisco, California, when he covered his mouth to cough a
little. A couple standing about 20 to 30 feet away from him stared in alarm, and then the woman
turned and ran away.
Another time, he was walking down an Oakland, California, street with a group of people when
someone started coughing. It wasn't Chan, but people turned around, glared at him and covered
their mouths.
The dirty looks happened in early March, before California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered the
state's 40 million residents to stay at home. It was before President Donald Trump called the
deadly COVID-19 as the "Chinese virus." COVID-19 is short for coronavirus 2019. This was before
the coronavirus pandemic sent the country's economy into a tailspin. This was also before it killed
thousands of Americans and infected thousands more.
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"They look at me and think I'm some kind of virus," said Chan, president of the Oakland
Chinatown Chamber of Commerce.
During the pandemic, Asian Americans across the U.S. have become the target of xenophobic and
prejudiced attacks. Experts said the scapegoating is fueled by harmful speech from politicians. The
experts included President Trump, who later called for the protection of Asian Americans from
xenophobic attacks.
On March 23, Trump called Asian Americans "amazing people" and said the epidemic is "NOT
their fault in any way, shape or form."
People From All Asian Backgrounds Have Been Mistreated
Russell Jeung leads the Asian American Studies Department at San Francisco State University in
California. He's been studying harmful incidents against Asian Americans during the
coronavirus pandemic. Jeung said that in recent months, people from all Asian backgrounds, not
just Chinese Americans, have been mistreated. They have been shunned, verbally abused, name-
called, coughed and spat on, and even physically assaulted, he said.
Wearing face masks is a practice that began in Asian countries for cultural and environmental
reasons. It has crossed over to immigrant communities in the United States. Now it has become a
racialized symbol of the virus.
Jeung said that Asian Americans wearing masks are seen as disease carriers. If they are not
wearing masks, then they are seen as disease carriers who are acting careless, he said.
Alicia McCauley is the spokeswoman for the Commission on Human Rights. It is a group
that investigates incidents of harassment and discrimination in New York City. The commission
has received a "sharp increase" in calls about COVID-19 related discrimination against Asian
Americans, McCauley said.
Steve Mylett is the police chief in Bellevue, Washington. He said he's seen a 178 percent increase in
the number of applications for firearm transfers. The state requires firearm dealerships to report
all firearm transfers to local police. Mylett said a significant number of applicants appeared to
have last names that indicate they have Chinese heritage.
Mylett said that harassment and unfair treatment might have made the applicants fearful. "They
felt like they needed to arm themselves to protect themselves and their families," he said.
Police Say People Are Not Reporting More Hate Crimes
There is an abundance of anecdotal evidence of harassment reported in the media and by groups
that fight against discrimination. However, many police departments, including Mylett's, said they
have not seen a significant rise in the number of hate-crime reports related to COVID-19. This
suggests that people might have doubts or fears about reporting these incidents to the police.
That's a concern for Mylett. He said that hate crimes normally start as verbal attacks that don't rise
to the level of a crime before they escalate into physical violence. It is important for law
enforcement to get involved early, before the situation becomes more dangerous, he said.
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Jeung, the San Francisco State professor, said there are several reasons why people might not
want to report to police. Many Asian Americans are cautious about dealing with the government,
he said. Some fled authoritarian governments from their home countries and are
naturally distrustful of authority. Authoritarianism is a form of government characterized by
strong central power and limited political freedoms. Some people who are being targeted came to
the United States illegally and are fearful of calling attention to themselves. Speaking different
languages can also be an issue.
Website Gets 673 Reports Of Discrimination In One Week
Jeung recently teamed up with two groups in California that fight against discrimination. They
launched a website allowing people to report incidents without having to give their names. They
received 673 responses in one week from across the country.
The incidents involved not only Chinese Americans, but also Japanese, Koreans, Taiwanese,
Vietnamese and Filipinos. This highlights that Asian Americans from many backgrounds are
facing unfair treatment, Jeung said.
Some reported being coughed at and spat on. Some said they were barred from business
establishments, yelled at by cashiers and customers who accused them of bringing the virus to the
country. Some said Lyft and Uber drivers refused to give them rides.
In Oakland's Chinatown, the scapegoating has led to a slump in business, said Chan. Family
establishments, many of which were started years ago by elderly residents who came to the United
States for a better future for their families, began seeing significant drops in their business. Before
California's shelter-in-place order took effect, many small business owners turned to their
personal savings to keep their businesses open and make sure their employees still had jobs, Chan
said.
"Personally, I feel very sad … When I'm quietly sitting down, I just feel so sad," Chan said, his voice
breaking. "Many of us are really suffering."
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