NOTE TO READER: This was originally written by me as a LinkedIn article published on Tuesday, June 2, 2020. For reference I have provided the link to the article, along with the post in relations to sharing my opinions and actions that can be done. You can also follow or connect with me on LinkedIn.
I’m coming on this network to speak directly about two things: the murdering of George Floyd, and the proposal that some American politicians are making to ban international Chinese students from studying here in the US who are pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers. I thought that what I could say about how I feel as an Asian American can fit in one post; it turns out that I had to write my first LinkedIn article, grateful for the connections that I have made with people since creating my account two years ago.
First, as a Chinese American, I am upset that an Asian American officer who was involved in the murder of George Floyd subdued himself to not just police brutality, but the discrimination that whites have with the African American community. Him just standing there letting fellow Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin preventing Floyd from breathing and explaining his side of the story. Him standing there is the fear of any minority community to stand their ground. But these incidents in life require the need for people like me to speak up and speak out about what we see is wrong or unfair. I hope other Asian Americans follow suit as well, and pass this message to their families and friends.
It is time for my community to wake up, raise our hands, and use our voices to speak out against police brutality and other submissive actions putting one race or group of people against another. To engage in said activity is confinement from having a say in what should be done that is right and just, and not to target certain people or communities. Other than that, racial targeting, especially with the African American community, is uncalled for and George Floyd deserved justice without taking his life. Not to mention the President signed an executive order to dismiss fact checking on all forms of media.
Furthermore, the Secure Campus Act is a twenty-first century Chinese Exclusion Act. Under proposal, requests for visas to the US will be banned for Chinese graduate students studying in STEM careers. This is done out of fear for economic decline in a land of opportunity and it does not make sense to take that away from those who want to extend their education and career. It’s odd that we are in a pandemic and yet here in the US as COVID-19 hits, so does racial discrimination and nothing is productive.
Both of these affect the economy detrimentally. It just doesn’t make any sense. They run the top companies that run our businesses that run our world and there is no question that diversity and inclusion mean everything more than ever. These people keep our websites up, our internet running, our communities fighting to get better every day. We are better than this and it seems like it only gets worse. They work hard and those pursuing their highest goals should not be stopped for those who seek these kinds of opportunities.
I hope that the next connection with someone on LinkedIn, the next person I talk to, the next interview, the next job offer I find: that despite being born in America, my race should never jeopardize a job application. Nor should it be the main reason why me or someone else of my community get declined if that is the main reason why. I stand in solidarity with other members of the Asian American community and it is nothing but clear to me that #BlackLivesMatter and that #Asians4BlackLives should be promoted more. Simply using the hashtag #AllLivesMatter does absolutely nothing to fix the problems with relationships between African American, Asian, Hispanic, and Middle Eastern communities, among others. Change needs to occur in the way police officers are trained and we all need to do our part for others to wake up and speak up safely during the current pandemic.
Enough is enough. The more we act as bystanders, the more we are letting trouble happen and the more that those in charge will think it’s acceptable to continue taking away other people’s lives. It only makes sense now that Colin Kaepernick led by example. To speak out against his kneeling for racial equality makes some of us think twice about who we really are and both what and why we support and/or go against actions that go against the norm, or those that break the status quo. These problems may never be fixed in our generation, and it should be understood that some politicians in Washington are doing a half-ass job protecting our people, instead protecting their money, high-quality health plans, and ample tax credits and tax breaks.
We all have a voice and we should use it now more than ever, no matter what background we come from. So, peacefully protest. Vote this November, and do not let any obstacle prevent you from doing so, but do it safely. If mail-in is the safest way to vote, take advantage of that if need be. Form support groups and have these hard conversations about racial inequalities and how to help. If possible, experience what it is like to be in someone else’s shoes and the persecution they go through, everything they have to do out of fear to make it in this country or in another part of the world. It starts with empathy. It turns out that I find myself too privileged and need to slow down in this fast life, and I think it may be the same for other people as well. For those not from the United States, encourage your international peers to find resources that may be helpful in getting every opportunity possible to make it here in this country, and check in with them from time to time. It will make a difference.
These are some of the most basic human rights that are written in the Constitution that some leaders in Washington want to take away from us for good. Retaliation comes out in response to fear, and it is always a big step that one has to take. It will be rough getting started, but it is necessary to get our hands dirty and our feet wet to put in the work towards fighting for better in this world. Taking action in the most obscure ways can make a big difference for our tomorrow and for the future generations. It is all that we have left that we can and must build up from, and it starts now. It is time for all of us to STEP UP as Black Lives Matter more than ever.
MATTHEW CHIN 