Youth speakers shared their stories of encountering anti-Asian racism in their lives at a discussion session held on September 8. The talk, “Breaking the Silence on Asian Racism,” was sponsored by Quincy Asian Resources, Inc. (QARI) and the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMASS Boston). Students Yongshi Xu, Justin Chan, Annie Lu, and Aaron Huang voiced their experiences, while Dr. Carolyn Wong, a research associate from UMASS Boston, facilitated.
Xu, a senior at The Woodward School for Girls, began the conversation by describing how she had lived in Curacao when she was younger, before coming to the United States. Growing up, she was the only Asian girl in her school, and others often mocked her or made derogatory statements, telling her to “go back to China.” Her teachers and parents told her not to worry, even though this happened almost every day, and she said that she eventually got used to the remarks and did not let them bother her.
“It really impacted me and made me think, there’s a lot of different people in society,” said Xu. “…Of course there are people who don’t know it’s racism. It really made me think how different people are.”
Chan, a junior at Quincy High School, told a story about how when he was in kindergarten, parents of students came in to do a presentation or show-and-tell for the class. When his mother did a balloon animal demonstration, his teacher noticed that she did not speak English well and assumed that Chan would have the same difficulties. His teacher placed him in an English Language Learner class even though he spoke proficiently. Chan said that he saw this treatment as an act of racism that ended up pushing his skills further back. Wong said that speaking up in situations like Chan’s is one way of moving forward.
“There are also obstacles to moving forward in society,” said Wong. “This is a really difficult time, when race, prejudice, and putting labels or assumptions on people is very hard. But a lot of times, Asians are not enough a part of that conversation about race.
The next presentation came from Lu, a junior at North Quincy High School, who described how she and her fellow students pushed to change the school’s mascot. The mascot, known as the “Yakoo,” depicted a caricature of a Native American warrior.
The students created a petition to have the mascot changed, which triggered a wave of backlash, and Lu said that she was called anti-Asian slurs as a result. Lu said that she felt she and her colleagues eventually made progress, as the school ended up changing the depiction.
The discussion wrapped up with a story from Huang, a junior at Boston College High School. He recounted an experience of exchanging jokes while walking home with a group of friends from school when one friend blurted out the term “chink.”
Huang said that this student had meant to be humorous, but he was struck by their casual usage of the word. The nonchalance behind racist slurs or statements is part of what makes them normalized in society, he said.
During the conversation, the youth presenters emphasized that the importance of speaking up when encountering racism and challenging xenophobic behaviors. Chan said that to build a sense of equality, it is critical for people to come together and understand each other.
“If you really feel the need to speak up, it’s important that you do,” said Chan. “If you feel that your issue is small and not important, which I sometimes do feel, it’s not. Everybody’s issues are important. Even if you might see yourself as different than somebody else, they might have the same exact experience that you did, and it’s important for everybody to hear it.”
