In his March 11 address about the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Joe Biden condemned the spike of “vicious hate crimes” against Asian Americans. “It’s wrong, it’s un-American, and it must stop,” he said.
He’s wrong — this is America. Racism — violent and nonviolent, conscious and unconscious — against Black, brown and Asian people happens every day, all day in America.
Of the 7,314 federal hate crime incidents identified in 2019, 58 percent were motivated by race, ethnicity, ancestry or bias. More than half the offenders were white. The numbers include the 23 killings and 23 attempted murders by a white man in 2019 at an El Paso Walmart, also labeled domestic terrorism.
During last summer’s nationwide protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd by a white officer, people again questioned if “this is America.”
Those words — also the title of Childish Gambino’s haunting music video from 2018 — were often posted with images of the deadly mayhem of the Jan. 6 insurrection that included a noose.
U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn invoked those words in an ABC News interview: “Everybody wants to say it was about politics, but it was a large number of people in that crowd that were racists. ... The quote that’s been used in the impeachment trial, ‘Is this America?’ That’s what I said to my friend, ‘Is this America?’”
Dunn knows this is America.
We have witnessed how former President Donald Trump and his supporters have downplayed COVID-19, which is killing people of color at higher rates.
We have seen thousands of immigrants fleeing violence juxtaposed with politicians doing all they can to keep them out of America.
We heard Atlanta authorities say Thursday they had not determined race as a motive for the shootings by a 21-year-old white man on Tuesday that killed eight people, including six Asian women. But the shooting occurred against the backdrop of racial animus against Asians. Stop AAPI Hate has identified about 3,800 incidents over the last year.
Last Sunday, I joined others in outrage after I saw images of racist vandalism at Mike Nguyen’s Noodle Tree restaurant near the University of Texas at San Antonio. Nguyen believes the acts were the result of people angry after watching his CNN interview in which he vowed to require masks after COVID-19 mandates were lifted by the governor.
Nguyen, who is also battling lymphoma, reflected on what he called ignorance and racism: “Anti-maskers talk about their freedoms, but they try to take others’ freedoms.” After online death threats increased, Nguyen closed his dining room Thursday. He said he would pay for off-duty police presence at least through the weekend.
Candelario Alvarez, an 18-year veteran of the Marines, made the drive to Noodle Tree from Kirby with his wife, Nina, and their children, ages 12, 17 and 19.
“He is trying to earn a living just like the rest of us,” he said outside the restaurant after a waitress said they were sold out.
The Lopez family, who drove from near Sea World, reflected before their meal. “I go to great lengths to teach my daughter that everybody has something that makes them special and beautiful, and everyone is worthy of love,” Nicole Lopez said through tears.
Her daughter, Emma Grace Lopez, 8, who idolizes Vice President Kamala Harris, was eager to share: “I feel like white people shouldn’t judge people just because of the color of their skin.”
While we need to learn more about the backgrounds and motives of the vandals, the incident reflects the deep racial divides so pronounced during the previous administration — and still present. Alvarez and Lopez separately blamed former President Donald Trump’s racist rhetoric and actions.
“All of this started with one man who held a high power — Trump. People listened to him as he said words like ‘China virus.’ He fed them with nonsense and they believe it,” Alvarez said.
One of the most important ways of reforming our country’s racism is education. Parents are the first and most important teachers. Children need to see the modeling and open communication about race that Alvarez and Lopez give their children.
We can’t be in denial of America’s grim history and current reality. Policy, laws and justice are beginning to make change, but more must be done.
We must find a common ground as Americans and humans — and we need to teach our children to do the same, for a better America, not this America.
Nancy.Preyor-Johnson@express-news.net
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March 21, 2021 at 12:07PM
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Preyor-Johnson: Is this America? Just look at what happens every day - San Antonio Express-News
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