When examining recent events in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, violence against Asian businesses in America has become an increasingly pressing issue. This violence and prejudice has appeared in many forms, ranging from avoidance and slander of Asian businesses to full-fledged attacks upon property and owners. This is not the only time in American history, however, that Asian businesses (particularly Chinese) have been under siege. By going back in time and examining the struggles that Asian immigrants have faced in this country, we can truly understand how racism, xenophobia, and prejudice have taken root in this nation and continue to impact Asian businesses today.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, Chinese immigrants came in large numbers to the young United States, mostly in search of work opportunities or to join family. Many of these immigrants famously came to America in search of gold during the California Gold Rush of 1849, during which the number of Chinese people in California increased exponentially in a matter of years. Throughout this time, Chinese laborers working in the mines faced mass prejudice from their fellow workers and communities. The slur “coolie” was attached to them, which essentially meant “rented muscle”, or “unskilled laborer.” The willingness of these immigrants to perform virtually any kind of labor for low wages angered American workers, and although European immigrants performing the same kind of labor existed in similar numbers, they were disregarded in this argument. As Chinese workers grew in number and Chinese businesses began springing up around the United States, American workers, mostly unemployed or poor, became more and more hostile towards the immigrants. In their eyes, the Chinese were stealing their jobs, robbing them of their bread, and sending their money to their families back home, therefore upsetting the American economy.
This panic materialized in physical attacks against Asian businesses, in which laundries, restaurants, and other commercial establishments were sacked, burned, and destroyed. In the Chinese massacre of 1871, a mob of around 500 people, around 10% of the city’s population at the time, stormed Chinatown and hung 17 Chinese men and boys on a makeshift gallows. Two others were murdered that night, making the total 19, around one-tenth of the Chinese population of the city. On the same night, their businesses were robbed and destroyed, with over $40,000 worth of goods stolen. Unfortunately, the murderers never faced legal consequences, and the event was quickly forgotten by the city. If anything, anti-Chinese sentiment continued to increase in the following years.
Almost 200 years later, not much has changed. Since January of 2020, widespread hate crimes against Asian-American businesses have been growing in number as the COVID-19 pandemic has taken hold in America. In March alone, there was a shocking amount of reported hate crimes against both Asian-American citizens and businesses, with slurs, vandalization, and xenophobic speech raised against members of the AAPI community under the assumption that they had “brought coronavirus to this country”, or were “spreading the virus.” This hateful, racist spirit culminated in death threats, physical attacks and destruction of property belonging to or associated with Asian-American people, and unfortunately continues to this day.
Racism and xenophobia have become nearly synonymous with America considering its past and present. Even by examining the experiences of one ethnic group, it is clear that although many years have passed since the establishment of this nation, little has changed. This is not to say, of course, that progress has not been made. The issue at hand is that there has not been enough.
Written by: Serena Li
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