Dear Governor Newsom,
As you are well aware, we are fully in the midst of a crisis, and have been for almost a year now. During the COVID-19 pandemic, millions have been infected and hundreds of thousands of people have died, a disturbing fact that has touched each one of us personally. However, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans (AAPI) have had to simultaneously face a second, more treacherous battle: xenophobic racism.
In short, I am afraid. I am terrified that my elderly grandparents will be targeted when they visit Korea-town or even when they are just walking alone in their own neighborhood. I am afraid that strangers will whisper “COVID” as my Aunt walks by, double-masked with sanitizer in her palm. I am scared that my Dad will have to once again face the same racism that he did all those years of his boyhood.
Governor Newsom, I am writing because I am disheartened that you still haven’t condemned this onslaught of violent racism happening in your state. California, with the largest AAPI population, has had the most attacks on Asian Americans in the past year. Most of these have been concentrated in the Bay Area and San Francisco, where you were once mayor. It’s hard to believe that you haven’t been following the news in your community, and it’s even worse to think that maybe you just don’t care.
It’s difficult to come to that conclusion, but how can you not recognize the sheer cruelty and hatred that the AAPI community is facing? It’s impossible for us to ignore the attacks that our communities and especially our elders are being subjected to, and as Governor, you should be feeling the same. You are the leader of our state, and yet you have not said a word condemning the violence happening under your watch.
What’s even more difficult to process is how you knew about at least one incident of a racist verbal attack on an Asian family, and did nothing to help them or their community. In July 2020, after the Chan family was attacked by a Tech CEO at the Lucia Restaurant in Monterey, you reposted the GoFundMe page for a white waitress who forced the bigot to leave the premises. The waitress ended up making over $80,000, but by addressing her financial situation instead of the pain the Chans endured, or the Sinophobia espoused by the racist that night, you made it clear that allies should be praised and rewarded to no end for doing a basic kindness. In doing that, you pushed a white savior narrative instead of dealing with the racism at hand.
I’ve waited for months and months hoping that you would denounce the racism at hand but it never happened. May, AAPI Heritage month, came and went. So did the multitude of Festivals, celebrations and holidays within the Asian Community. On Jan. 30, Fred Korematsu Day, which honors and celebrates a heroic AAPI civil rights activist, there was utter silence on the matter. The next day, three elderly Asian Americans were violently pushed to the ground, and just a few days after that, 84 year old Thai Immigrant Vicha Ratanapakdee was killed in your hometown.
With your platform as Governor, you could have brought greater attention to the issues. The utter indifference shown to attacks against our communities has not only been shocking, but also completely terrifying.
We want acknowledgement for the pain and suffering our community is experiencing right now. We need people in charge, like yourself, to address these issues, condemn them, and make them known. We need support. We need guidance and clear leadership to steer us out of the racism that affects us and those we love. We need you to take a stand and finally make a statement condemning the hatred we have faced this past year.
Your tired constituent,
Izzie Kim