Organization Works to Fight Anti-Asian Activity

Americans were shocked and horrified by the fatal shootings in Atlanta this month, and many call for the killings, which included six women of Asian descent, to be named hate crimes. Members of the Asian-American community say the incident reflects how their culture is viewed in the United States. Katherine Chi is the Indiana chapter organizer for the National Asian Pacific American Women Forum. She spoke with WFYI’s Terri Dee about the group's work to stop violence and dispel hurtful stereotypes, including work to teach children about Asian culture. 

WFYI Reporter Terri Dee: What is your perspective on what you're seeing in the news? What are your thoughts and feelings?

Katherine Chi, Indiana chapter organizer for National Asian-Pacific American Women Forum: I am appalled and devastated at the violence in Georgia that has taken eight lives, six whom were Asian-American women. We mourn the families of these victims and we are horrified. We are concerned for the safety of our community members across the country, as the violence towards Asian-Americans has escalated. This violence is not new. It has heightened since March 2020 because of rhetoric used by certain politicians that have scapegoated Asian-Americans. It's just so unfortunate that it's taken something so jarring for people to finally start paying attention to this.

Dee: How do you think those who are watching the news headlines should address this? In what way can they assist or address this bias that seems to be growing against Asian-Americans?

Chi: I think first and foremost, paying attention and believing us when we say this is happening. This kind of violence has been around since the 1800s. No one's been paying attention, or they sort of pay attention, but they don't think it's a big deal. I just ask everybody to keep an eye on this and to learn more about Asian-Americans. I would just ask for people at home to pay attention to what's going on in the news, and what's going on around you, as well in your community, because these types of violence and hate incidents are happening just anywhere. I think people should learn about Asian-American history to truly understand what we've been going through. This isn't something that's usually taught in school.

Dee: When is a good place to begin teaching this?

Chi: It needs to be taught in school. I know a lot of people have told me that. I didn't go to grade school or middle school here. I started with the United States in high school. I was told that for a long time, this (American) history only included, one or two things about Asian-Americans. We've got a long history here, and it's time for people to learn more about it.

Dee: Older generations of Asian families typically don't address assault, violence and stereotypes. They usually remain silent and don't speak out. But now we're looking at a generation that appears to want to be more vocal, more present and more visible against attacks on their community. So what do you think is contributing to or has influenced this change and how is the Asian community fighting back?

Chi: I definitely think young people are not going to be quiet and they are just going to be more vocal and not be silent about what's been going on. I think part of what's been very helpful to our community, in my opinion, is what happened last June, when the Black Lives Matter movement occurred. A lot of us stood in solidarity with the black community and it showed us how powerful speaking up can be, and how powerful it is to be together and stand in solidarity. I think that has also taught us to raise our voices, and make sure that we speak up against racism. We are fighting for our elders because a lot of these hate incidents are happening to our elders. We want to live in a community that's safe, and we also want to make sure that everybody is living in a community that's safe and inclusive, and free of fear.

Dee: Is there optimism this presidential administration will make a difference on how Asian-Americans are treated and viewed in this country?

Chi: I would say so because first and foremost, we have Kamala Harris up there leading us. Just seeing a woman up there, a black woman and an Asian-American women gives us a lot of hope. She has been speaking up and President Biden has been speaking up. We need leadership to speak up and lead by example. My answer is yes, it does give me hope.