How can a President Joe Biden ‘change the narrative’ for Asian-Americans?
- Executive orders can quickly undo some Trump administration policies that stirred anti-Asian sentiment
- Prominent appointments and a cooling of rhetoric can also help, advocates say, though one concedes ‘some of that hate isn’t going to resolve itself immediately’
As Joe Biden prepares to take the reins in Washington, the stakes have never been higher for the US relationship with China and the rest of Asia. In the latest in a post-election series, Bernd Debusmann Jr explores the steps that advocates for Asian-Americans say should be taken to reduce the hostility that the Trump administration’s policies have encouraged.
In theory, Valley Brook Tea is an unlikely place for a hate crime. The speciality tea store is located on a busy commercial avenue in Washington’s affluent Dupont Circle area, just steps away from some of the most popular bars and cafes, high-end hotels and multimillion-dollar town houses in the nation’s capital, a city which prides itself on tolerance and diversity.
Yet, on a quiet morning last month, this was where a rising wave of xenophobia and anti-Asian sentiment came for 29-year-old Yunhan Zhang, who opened his store in February.
The store’s closed circuit TV captured what happened: a man, wearing red pants and a black jacket, enters the store yelling “Covid-19!” After being told to go away, the agitated assailant pulls out a can of pepper spray, using it on Zhang as he continues to hurl insults – which explicitly contained the term “Chinese” – before fleeing the scene.
For Zhang, an 11-year resident of the United States from China, the motive was clear. It marked the second time, he said, that he had been targeted in an area otherwise known for its safety.
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Asian-Americans, harassed over coronavirus, push back on streets and social media
“This type of hate crime happened to us, again,” he wrote on Twitter the day of the incident. “It seems we’re the only business that keeps getting harassed and attacked in this neighbourhood.”