Samantha Tow 紅木城
最近的新聞中經常出現針對亞裔和太平洋島民（AAPI）的仇恨，以及反仇視集會和抗議活動。雖然這似乎是最近的趨勢，但仇視亞太裔已經發生了很長時間。
人們想到歧視通常會想到非裔和「黑人的命也是命」運動。那麼，亞裔呢？我們都應該得到平等的待遇，而不僅僅是那些發聲廣為人知的特定群體。
1882年5月6日，阿瑟總統簽署了一項《排華法案》。這項聯邦法律禁止中國勞工移民美國，為期10年。大多數人不想要這些移民，因為他們接受較低的報酬，而想要更多報酬的其他工人則抱怨沒有拿到足夠的報酬，並擔心會被解僱和被中國勞工取代。他們開始歧視並將中國人視為低級的工人。當時的許多宣傳都以刻板方式描述中國人：只留一條小辮子，眼睛誇張地斜視。諸如此類的法律表明，甚至早在19世紀，亞裔就因為他們的文化遺產和外表而受到歧視。
最近，亞裔在街上受到攻擊，特別是我們的長者。我的祖父母不敢自己出門，因為擔心會成為目標。他們看到84歲的Vicha Ratanapakdee在光天化日之下在三藩市街頭被一名19歲男子襲擊後因傷勢過重而死亡的新聞。
這類攻擊和歧視是完全不可接受的，我們必須盡所能使之停止，讓老人能夠再次對獨自在社區街道上行走感到安全。
另一個值得注意的仇視亞太裔例子很諷刺，屋崙華埠商會會長陳錫澎在去看望另一個仇恨犯罪受害者的路上被一名男子襲擊。陳錫澎成功地站起身並拍下了襲擊者的照片，這有助於警方逮捕嫌疑人，後者現在正在等待判決。我們希望讓施暴者為他們的行為負責，並希望其他人明白，在灣區或任何地方，沒有人會容忍這樣的行為。
最近的另一宗事件發生在紐約，三藩市居民高慧民（Michelle Go）被人推倒在地鐵前致死。高慧民在時代廣場站等車時，被Simon Martial從背後推了一把。
雖然該案沒有作為仇恨犯罪進行調查，但亞裔社區仍然對這宗襲擊感到震驚。這一事件表明，針對亞太裔的仇恨犯罪不僅發生在灣區，而且也發生在全國各地。
仇視亞太裔需要結束。我們必須認識到，任何形式的歧視都是不可接受的，我們需要一起努力來消除它。然而，當我們退後一步，看看這個世界已經變成甚麼樣時，也必須思考我們的言語用詞可能會造成的歧視。為甚麼人們首先要被貼上「黑人」、「白人」或「亞裔」的標簽？不如看到每個人的本性，也就是人。我們都是人，膚色並不使我們比別人更重要或更不重要。歸根究底，每個人的生命都很重要，我們應該根據人們的行為和人本身來對待他們。
作為第二代亞裔美國人，我想對《星島日報》和星島電台表示感謝，因為它們是華人社區正能量的來源。很高興有一個受人尊敬的組織，為年輕的聲音提供平台，使影響整個華人社區的重要問題得到關注。
我們這一代人可以通過這類徵文比賽對自己溝通能力建立信心，幫助我們繼續傳承到未來。
【英文組並列二等獎，本報翻譯為中文以饗讀者，英文原稿如下】
Fight AAPI Hate
Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) hate has been featured a lot in the news recently, as well as rallies and protests against it. Although it may seem as though this is a recent trend, AAPI hate has been happening for a long time. Whenever people think about discrimination, they usually think of African-Americans and the Black Lives Matter movement. Well, what about Asian-Americans We all deserve equal treatment, not just the select groups that make their voices heard.
On May 6, 1882, President Chester A. Arthur signed what became known as the Chinese Exclusion Act. This federal law prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years. Most people did not want these immigrants because they accepted lower pay and the other workers that wanted more pay were complaining that they did not get paid enough and worried they would just get fired and replaced by a Chinese laborer. They began to discriminate and view the Chinese people as lowly workers and much of the propaganda at the time depicted Chinese people in the stereotypical way with one small braid of hair and exaggerated slanted eyes. Laws like these show that even as far back as the 1800s, Asian Americans were being discriminated against for their heritage and how they looked.
More recently Asian Americans have been attacked on the streets, particularly our elderly community. My own grandparents are afraid to go out in public by themselves because they fear that they will be targeted. They saw the news of 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee being assaulted by a 19-year-old man in broad daylight on the streets of San Francisco and later dying from his injuries. These types of attacks and discrimination are completely unacceptable and we must do what we can to make it stop so our elderly can feel safe again walking alone in their own neighborhood streets.
Another notable example of AAPI hate is when Carl Chan, president of Oakland’s Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, was attacked by a man ironically while he was on his way to visit another hate crime victim. Carl managed to stand his ground and capture pictures of his assailant, which helped police arrest the suspect who is now awaiting his sentence. We hope that the person responsible will be held accountable for their actions and that others will understand that no one will tolerate behavior like this in the Bay Area or anywhere.
Another recent incident occurred in New York when San Francisco resident Michelle Go was pushed in front of a subway to her death. Michelle was waiting for a train at the Times Square station when she was pushed from behind by Simon Martial. Although this is not being investigated as a hate crime, the Asian community is still reeling from this attack. This incident shows that hate crimes against AAPI people aren’t just happening in the Bay Area, but are also happening across the country.
AAPI hate needs to end. We have to realize that discrimination in any form is not acceptable and we need to work together to eliminate it. However, when we step back and take a look at what the world has become, we must also consider how our words may contribute to discrimination. Why should people be labeled as “black”, “white”, or “asian” in the first place How about seeing each person for who they are, which is a human. We are all human, and the color of our skin does not make us more or less important than someone else. At the end of the day, everyone’s lives matter and we should treat people based on their actions and who they are.
As a 2nd generation Asian-American I would like to express my appreciation to SingTao Daily and SingTao radio station for being sources of positive energy to the Chinese community. It’s great to have a respected organization that provides a platform for younger voices to bring visibility to important issues that affect the entire Chinese community. Our generation can build confidence in our communication skills through essay contests such as this which will help us carry the torch into the future.
Samantha Tow, Redwood City
