Sociology

Sociology Department at Cal Poly Pomona Condemns Anti-Asian Racism and Violence

March 2021 

We write this in sorrow and outrage following the series of hate crimes committed against Asian Americans including the beatings of Asian American elders and the recent murder of eight people, including six women of Asian descent, in Atlanta. We remember their names. 

Daoyou Feng  

Delaina Ashley Yaun  

Hyun Jeong Grant  

Paul Andre Michels 

Soon C. Park 

Suncha Kim  

Xiaojie Tan  

Yong A. Yue 

Exactly one year ago, we the Sociology Department issued a statement condemning the rise in Anti-Asian rhetoric and violence, as well as the associations of COVID-19 with people of Asian ancestry. 

Since then, over half a million Americans have died of COVID-19, and there have been nearly 4,000 incidents of hate crimes against Asian Americans, the majority against women.i

We know this is a scary, uncertain, and triggering time for many of us. It doesn’t help that there are conflicting ideas about how to understand this historical moment, in social media, within your families and communities, and among your friends. As sociologists, our teachings, research, and writings on race and racism are grounded in historical and contemporary research, and we want to offer a frame to you, our students.  

We who study social groups and institutions are acutely aware of how common it is during such times of crisis for cracks to appear within society and prejudices and stereotypes, even those long dormant or thought extinct, to resurface. It is common for groups of people, especially racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, or sexual minorities, to be scapegoated. 

While recognizing the presumption of innocence the accused is to be afforded, we note the sympathy which he, a white man, received upon his arrest, embodied by the Cherokee County Sheriff captain’s comment that he was “fed up” and having a “really bad day.”ii 

In light of the shooter’s insistence that his actions were motivated by sex rather than race, we recall Sung Yeon Choimorrow’s insight that the history of fetishization and hyper-sexualization of Asian American women, in and of itself, is a form of dehumanizing, racist violence that encourages further acts of violence.  

We call particular attention to how colonialism, war, and the presence of U.S. military in bases throughout Asia have contributed to this violence against women of Asian descent. 

As Professor Catherine Ceniza Choy has noted, "Killing Asian American women to eliminate a man's temptation speaks to the history of the objectification of Asian and Asian American women as variations of the Asian temptress, the dragon ladies and the lotus blossoms, whose value is only in relation to men's fantasies and desires." 

In condemning acts of Anti-Asian violence in the United States, we recall the long history of racist laws, language, and treatment directed at Asian-Americans. Specifically, we recall: 

  • the 1870 Naturalization Act that barred Chinese migrants from gaining US citizenship
  • the 1875 Page Act that banned Chinese women from coming to the US
  • the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act whose racism is apparent in its very name
  • the 1892 Geary Act that required Chinese residents to carry “papers” or face deportation
  • the 1917 Asiatic Barred Zone Act that prevented all immigration from East Asian countries
  • the 1924 Asian Exclusion Act which expanded the 1917 act to include immigration from other countries in the Eastern Hemisphere perceived as threatening the US’s ethnic homogeneity
  • the 1942 Executive Order 9066 that authorized the internment of Japanese Americans including those who were born here
  • the 1944 decision by the US Supreme Court in Korematsu vs. U.S. that upheld the constitutionality of the Japanese internment and was only overturned in 2018

Further, we remember that the US has a long and shameful history of exploiting the labor of Asian Americans while denying them their full humanity. We remember too, the persisting perception of Asians as “alien” and not fully American. 

We recognize that  

  • violence is not limited to the isolated, dramatic instances epitomized by assaults or killings, but also include on-going, daily indignities, obstacles, and challenges for communities of color, including Asian Americans 
  • the historical legacies of colonialism and white ethno-nationalism continue to create and justify racist logics that contribute to the oppression, suffering, and death of people of color. The same social forces that cause Anti-Asian violence, manifest in sexist, homophobic, classist, religious, ethnocentric, and transphobic violence as well.  

We condemn anti-Asian racism and all forms of violence against marginalized communities and leaders who incite, support, rationalize or tolerate violence.   

We pledge to create a community ready to embrace, support, and protect all its members and to engage in anti-violence and anti-racist work to promote justice and to protect the most vulnerable.  

 

i Stop API Hate https://secureservercdn.net/104.238.69.231/a1w.90d.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/210312-Stop-AAPI-Hate-National-Report-.pdf 

ii https://abcnews.go.com/US/georgia-sheriffs-department-fire-official-spa-shootings-suspect/story?id=76533598