Discrimination and Violence Against Asian Americans Today
The picture of the pin above is a 20th-anniversary pin commemorating Hyo-Sun and Mi-Seon. On June 13, 2002, in South Korea’s Gyeonggi province, a U.S. armored tank driven by two U.S. military personnel ran over Hyo-Soon and Mi-Sun, both 14. The eighth-grade girls died on the spot. South Korea’s Ministry of Justice requested the U.S. waive the right to try the two soldiers in the U.S. so that South Korea could try them.
Brief Background
Stereotypes, discrimination, and violence concerning AAPI populations have existed for quite some time. One common challenge today that the AAPI population from different ethnicities and all gender orientations faces is the “model minority” myth, which paints the entire population as a hard-working minority achieving “American dreams.” In addition to ignoring the diverse experiences of AAPI, the “model minority” myth often pits people of different races and ethnic backgrounds against each other and minimizes the role systemic racism plays. The COVID-19 pandemic, incorrectly framed as “China-flu,” added yet another challenge to the entire AAPI population; the human rights and safety of the AAPI population, especially women, were under threat. According to the 2021 Stop AAPI Hate National Report, covering incident reports to Stop AAPI Hate from 2020 to December 2021, the number of hate incidents reported to the center increased from 4,632 in 2020 to 6,273 in 2021. Of all the incidents reported, 61.8 % were made by AAPI women.[1] Recent cases of violence inflicted on AAPI women discussed below demonstrate that there is still a long way to go to secure peace and security for AAPI women.
AAPI Women's Security and Human Rights
Undermined rights and status of AAPI women can be witnessed in many parts of American society. In 2021, the case of missing woman Gabby Petito garnered a huge amount of media coverage, yet three months before that, the disappearance of Lauren Cho, a 30-year-old Asian American woman, had very little public attention. According to The New York Times, the disappearances of people of color occur at a higher rate than that of white women.[2] A report from Wyoming’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Task Force found that 710 Indigenous people were reported missing between 2011 to 2020 in Wyoming, where Gabby Petito’s remains were found. Of those missing, 57% were women, and 85% were children.[3] Furthermore, a 2016 study of four national and local news outlets found that Black Americans were “significantly underrepresented” in missing person coverage compared with the FBI’s tally of cases.[4]
In March 2021, a shooter in Atlanta murdered eight people, including six Asian American women, out of a supposed attempt to eliminate his sexual temptations. In his sexist, racist eyes, his victims were reduced to stereotypes. What happened in Atlanta represents yet another chapter of continued sexual violence against women of color in the United States. Gender-based violence is a global plague and one of the worst forms of human rights violations. It also tends to have a far more pronounced impact on marginalized populations, and especially so on racial minority women.
In January 2023, a Seattle cop, Daniel Auderer, made a racially biased and shockingly insensitive comment about 23-year-old grad student Jaahnavi Kandula, who was hit and killed by a police car while crossing the street. He said she had “limited value” and the city should “just write a check.” Failing to acknowledge that life is a life, Daniel’s shockingly insensitive comments reveal his disrespect for Asian women’s lives. He said his remarks on Jan. 23, mixed with laughter, were “not made with malice.”
U.S. foreign policy practice has long demonstrated heavy reliance on military force to maintain “security.” In 2022, the U.S., already a country with the strongest military power in the world, had the highest military spending, constituting nearly 40 percent of total military spending worldwide. Although the term “foreign” is used, U.S. foreign policy is closely tied to its domestic policy. What the U.S. has practiced in other countries is interlinked with the reality at home. The U.S. foreign policy toward military dominance in Asia impacting women under threat of potential armed conflict is related to the undermining of AAPI women’s human rights and security. Click the button below to learn more about the Impact of U.S. Militarism-Centered Foreign Policy on Women Living with the Threat of Potential Armed Conflict
Submitted by Sung Sohn
[1] https://stopaapihate.org/national-report-through-december-31-2021/
[2] Katie Robertson, “News Media Can’t Shake ‘Missing White Women Syndrome,’ Critics Say,” The NY Times, Sept. 22, 2021.
[3] Kelsey Vlamis, “710 Indigenous people, mostly girls, were reported missing over the past decade in Wyoming, the same state where Gabby Petito reportedly disappeared,” Insider, Sept. 18, 2021.
[4] Katie Robertson, “News Media Can’t Shake ‘Missing White Women Syndrome,’ Critics Say,” The NY Times, Sept. 22, 2021.
[5] “[Interview] Fighting for Reparations for Korea’s Camptown Women Before It’s Too Late,” Hankyoreh, June 26, 2022.
[6] Yuri Doolan, “The Camptown Origins of International Adoption and the Hypersexualization of Korean Children,” Journal of Asian American Studies, Johns Hopkins University Press, Vol. 24, No 3, Oct. 2021, 351–382.
Click the button below for the lesson plan Asian Americans: “Model Minority” Myth or research briefs on various topics, including militarism.
Stereotypes, discrimination, and violence concerning AAPI populations have existed for quite some time. One common challenge today that the AAPI population from different ethnicities and all gender orientations faces is the “model minority” myth, which paints the entire population as a hard-working minority achieving “American dreams.” In addition to ignoring the diverse experiences of AAPI, the “model minority” myth often pits people of different races and ethnic backgrounds against each other and minimizes the role systemic racism plays. The COVID-19 pandemic, incorrectly framed as “China-flu,” added yet another challenge to the entire AAPI population; the human rights and safety of the AAPI population, especially women, were under threat. According to the 2021 Stop AAPI Hate National Report, covering incident reports to Stop AAPI Hate from 2020 to December 2021, the number of hate incidents reported to the center increased from 4,632 in 2020 to 6,273 in 2021. Of all the incidents reported, 61.8 % were made by AAPI women.[1] Recent cases of violence inflicted on AAPI women discussed below demonstrate that there is still a long way to go to secure peace and security for AAPI women.
AAPI Women's Security and Human Rights
Undermined rights and status of AAPI women can be witnessed in many parts of American society. In 2021, the case of missing woman Gabby Petito garnered a huge amount of media coverage, yet three months before that, the disappearance of Lauren Cho, a 30-year-old Asian American woman, had very little public attention. According to The New York Times, the disappearances of people of color occur at a higher rate than that of white women.[2] A report from Wyoming’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Task Force found that 710 Indigenous people were reported missing between 2011 to 2020 in Wyoming, where Gabby Petito’s remains were found. Of those missing, 57% were women, and 85% were children.[3] Furthermore, a 2016 study of four national and local news outlets found that Black Americans were “significantly underrepresented” in missing person coverage compared with the FBI’s tally of cases.[4]
In March 2021, a shooter in Atlanta murdered eight people, including six Asian American women, out of a supposed attempt to eliminate his sexual temptations. In his sexist, racist eyes, his victims were reduced to stereotypes. What happened in Atlanta represents yet another chapter of continued sexual violence against women of color in the United States. Gender-based violence is a global plague and one of the worst forms of human rights violations. It also tends to have a far more pronounced impact on marginalized populations, and especially so on racial minority women.
In January 2023, a Seattle cop, Daniel Auderer, made a racially biased and shockingly insensitive comment about 23-year-old grad student Jaahnavi Kandula, who was hit and killed by a police car while crossing the street. He said she had “limited value” and the city should “just write a check.” Failing to acknowledge that life is a life, Daniel’s shockingly insensitive comments reveal his disrespect for Asian women’s lives. He said his remarks on Jan. 23, mixed with laughter, were “not made with malice.”
U.S. foreign policy practice has long demonstrated heavy reliance on military force to maintain “security.” In 2022, the U.S., already a country with the strongest military power in the world, had the highest military spending, constituting nearly 40 percent of total military spending worldwide. Although the term “foreign” is used, U.S. foreign policy is closely tied to its domestic policy. What the U.S. has practiced in other countries is interlinked with the reality at home. The U.S. foreign policy toward military dominance in Asia impacting women under threat of potential armed conflict is related to the undermining of AAPI women’s human rights and security. Click the button below to learn more about the Impact of U.S. Militarism-Centered Foreign Policy on Women Living with the Threat of Potential Armed Conflict
Submitted by Sung Sohn
[1] https://stopaapihate.org/national-report-through-december-31-2021/
[2] Katie Robertson, “News Media Can’t Shake ‘Missing White Women Syndrome,’ Critics Say,” The NY Times, Sept. 22, 2021.
[3] Kelsey Vlamis, “710 Indigenous people, mostly girls, were reported missing over the past decade in Wyoming, the same state where Gabby Petito reportedly disappeared,” Insider, Sept. 18, 2021.
[4] Katie Robertson, “News Media Can’t Shake ‘Missing White Women Syndrome,’ Critics Say,” The NY Times, Sept. 22, 2021.
[5] “[Interview] Fighting for Reparations for Korea’s Camptown Women Before It’s Too Late,” Hankyoreh, June 26, 2022.
[6] Yuri Doolan, “The Camptown Origins of International Adoption and the Hypersexualization of Korean Children,” Journal of Asian American Studies, Johns Hopkins University Press, Vol. 24, No 3, Oct. 2021, 351–382.
Click the button below for the lesson plan Asian Americans: “Model Minority” Myth or research briefs on various topics, including militarism.