With Violence on the Rise, Asian Americans Establish Support Groups for Help

Asian Americans affected by anti-Asian sentiment and hate crimes have provided support to each other. Left to right from top: Dr Boyung Lee, Dr Russell Jeung, Cynthia Choi, Myleen Hollero, and Dr Bryant Lin. Credit: Myleen HolleroBy Seimi ChuCalifornia, Apr 28 2022 (IPS) Dr Boyung Lee, a widow and the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty at Iliff School of Theology, would use a short break in her working day to walk around her neighborhood. The fresh air helped her deal with her grief and work-related stress. In May 2020, however, this small but significant daily ritual ended abruptly. Lee was walking when she noticed a dirty white truck but did not think much of it. She carried on walking, then heard something. The noise continued, and when she looked back, she noticed the driver inside the truck was shouting at her. Listening carefully, Lee realized that he was jeering at her – including using one of the common taunts directed at the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community: “Go back to your country.” Slightly shaken by this hostile confrontation, Lee continued walking. However, the driver followed her. Thankfully, Lee acted swiftly and ran into the opening of her neighbor’s apartment building, so the driver could not follow her. The incident made her feel unsafe. She was even nervous about grocery shopping. The verbal attack turned a Korean American independent feminist into a dependent person. Dr Boyung Lee was targeted by...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: COVID-19 Featured Gender Headlines Human Rights North America TerraViva United Nations #Activism #AsianAmerican #HumanRights IPS UN Bureau IPS UN Bureau Report Racism Source Type: news