Anti-Blackness in the East Asian Community and what to do about it

Historically, Asians and Asian-Americans have been in continuous conflict with the Black community. Most recently, news on coronavirus-related hate crimes against Asians around the world sparked outrage. Even though not all perpetrators were Black, viral footage of Black people harassing innocent Chinese or Koreans are still fresh on people’s minds. In Los Angeles, ethnic tensions between Asians and Blacks started to brew in the 1980s, when a surge in Korean migration to the city led to numerous cases of interracial conflict. This is most recounted through the 1992 LA riots following the brutal police beating of Rodney King, where it was the Korean-owned businesses that suffered the most devastating loss from the lootings.

This decades-long conflict is aggravated by Asians’ own experience with racism as people of color. It is a common Asian experience to have often felt personally harassed by Black people with derogatory slurs or physical abuse. Of course, not all Asians are forming toxic rhetoric around the Black Lives Matter movement. But it is enough to cause concern. As the media continues to sensationalize BLM-related lootings, many are quick to wrongfully criticize BLM and fail to see past their personal biases. This is fueling a dangerously negative outlook on the movement, and consequently on Black people, further deepening ethnic friction and divide.