By JESSIE LU and SANDI SHAO
Ever since the coronavirus started causing chaos in the U.S., the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community has seen horrific events of violent hate crimes.
Recently, a student of Asian descent was verbally and physically abused by a group of students in Syosset Middle School, just 15 minutes away from Jericho High School. The terrifying re-emergence of hate crimes against AAPI people–which has had the largest increase in New York City in the past year, according to an analysis of police data by a center at the CSU–is not just affecting students in Syosset. AAPI students in many schools across Long Island are experiencing an increase in racism.
Among the members of Jericho High School, the AAPI population has been the most significantly impacted by this news.
Lately, students of Jericho High School are becoming increasingly aware of their surroundings. Senior Daniel P. said, “The kid involved in the discrimination incident at Syosset is someone I actually know; it felt personal. That really made me realize this is a big deal.”
When the media predominately reports these kinds of news in bigger cities like LA and NYC, people are prone to believe that hate crimes rarely exist in suburban areas like Long Island. However, hate crimes towards the AAPI population have surged by nearly 150% in 2020, according to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, and likely the number is higher across the nation as many remain incidents go unreported.
Hate crimes towards AAPI people in the U.S. is not a new issue. According to Jericho High School history teacher Mr. Coval, AAPI people have been subject to this type of treatment ever since the mass influx of Chinese immigrants in the 1800s. “Chinese Americans were really isolated within communities in the past; they had to set up their own churches and social events because the rest of the population refused to interact with them,” Mr. Coval said.
In his classes, he discusses the Japanese internment camps during World War II, another period of time during American history when hate crimes against Asians were brought to the extreme.
Among AAPI in Jericho, many have personal stories of discrimination they or their family members have witnessed. Orchestra teacher Mr. Lee mentioned the many times he experienced name-calling because of his ethnicity. He said, “It’s always been present, even back when I went to school on Long Island.”
He added, “I think it’s misunderstood, the fact that people think it’s something new.”
Having lived in a predominantly white neighborhood, recent graduate and Asian American Nicole S. has experienced name-calling ever since middle school. However, this phenomenon was not only limited to her experience in school, but also in public places. “When I go out with some of my Asian friends, sometimes we will be called different things,” said Nicole.
Senior Daniel P. feels strongly about the need for protection against hate crimes towards AAPI, after his father, a shop owner, experienced racist encounters with his customers. “They told him to ‘go back to China,’” he said.
“It gets me angry, I mean, I’m not even Chinese-but that’s besides the point. Now everywhere I go, I have to carry pepper spray with me. Some of my relatives also live in places like Flushing, where hate crimes have been happening frequently, so I’m really worried about them,” Daniel added.
Jericho has a significant Asian population, and students and parents expressed their concerns about the recent surge of hate crimes. Junior Maung-Gyi A. is especially worried about his mother in public. “It’s just the fact if you look Asian, then you have the sense of fear and the sense of threat that someone will come up to you and hammer you,” he said.
As a parent of an Asian student at Jericho High School, Mr. Wang has seen changes in his wife’s behaviors due to worries for their children. Instead of letting his son take public transportation , Mr. Wang’s wife insists on driving their child to New York City. Additionally, his wife also carries pepper spray and a safety alarm just in case. He worries about the effectiveness of this measure. “Does anyone really care when you press the alarm button? And nobody really cares what’s going on as far as reality,” Mr. Wang said.
Jericho parent Mr. Wang, upper left, has not changed much of his own behavior in response to recent AAPI hate crimes. However, he described how members of his family have changed theirs.
Jericho High School guidance counselor Mr. Wu has hope for the future regarding the issue of AAPI discrimination. “I think one thing that’s really important is for the students, the new generations, to be having more of these conversations. We need to stand up and voice our opinions,” Mr. Wu said.
He feels that school districts can hold more events that promote cultural diversity and “allow people from all walks of life to appreciate each other’s cultures.” He said, “The more we discuss it, the more people will hear about it.”
In response to these hate crimes, more actions are being taken to support local communities. Senior Qi W. was able to participate in the “Stand Up to Hate” rally hosted by Nassau County Legislator Joshua Lafazan back in March 2021 and this helped to motivate her to get more involved in fighting for Asian rights. She appreciates this opportunity to support the AAPI community, and expresses her wish for the future. “I don’t think we see a lot of Asian politicians in real life,” she added, “The US mainstream media should be responsible for covering more of the Asian community.”
Jericho High School Senior Qi W. interviews Nassau County Legislator Mr. Lafazan on what teenagers could do to combat anti-Asian hate crimes.
Photo by Michael Liu
Qi believes that Asians need more representation and respect for their rights. “We need to settle down and say, that’s my place, and I need to make sure I have the rights, the freedom, and the security as a human being,” she said.