Friday, March 29, 2024

Cory Haywood: Black People, It’s Not Our Job to Defend the Safety or Civil Rights of Other Racial Groups ‘Especially Asian Americans’

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Asian Lives Matter - protest - Getty
Photo: Getty

*When other minority groups encounter bigotry or discrimination and need help overcoming these challenges, they instinctively pick up the phone to call black people, because they know we’ll always “show up.”
But when it’s time for these groups to reciprocate the empathy and support we show them, in most cases, they conveniently disappear.

I’m sick of this lopsided narrative. It’s a cycle that benefits everyone, except “us.”

Black people aren’t obligated – nor should we feel obligated – to defend other groups of people when they call, or when they appear to need our help.

Haven’t we done enough for other people already – even at the expense of our own safety and freedom? We aren’t rescue dogs. It’s not our job to protect the interests and welfare of “others.”

The fight for civil rights in this country started with black people.

From the time our ancestors were stolen from their homelands and transported to America, black men and women have always emerged to protect the freedoms and welfare of black and brown people.

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s helped change the fortunes of nearly every marginalized group in America.

These efforts reshaped the American landscape during a time when nearly all of this country’s laws and regulations benefited whites.

The gains achieved during this era were made possible by African American organizations and dedicated black leaders.

Dr. Martin Luther King marched for the civil rights of “all” disenfranchised people. The NAACP and other black organizations worked tirelessly to dismantle the white power structure crippling the progress of “all” minorities.

We were the first group to stand up to racism when no one else would, or could.

Even today, when forces of oppression target other minority groups, quite often, blacks are called upon to help organize rallies and create public awareness.

However, in the moments blacks express frustration at issues affecting black communities, we’re often accused of “complaining” or indiscriminately playing the race card. These accusations generally come from the very people we’ve spent decades helping.

Is it wise for African Americans to fight on behalf of others, while there’s no evidence of reciprocity from the groups that we defend?

This question underscores the issue I have with blacks defending Asian Americans at this time.

As the coronavirus spreads, one of the side effects has been a rise in violence and hostility toward the Asian community.

We’ve seen this movie before.

My Ethnicity Not A Virus - Gettyimages-1206832700
Photo: Getty

Whenever there’s a crisis, people often reveal their ignorance in ways that hurt others.

At this juncture, with the future of American lives and the economy in doubt, people are choosing to unleash their frustration on the Asian community.

These incidents, critics argue, are being fueled by the use of nicknames like “Kung Flu” and “The China Virus” to describe COVID-19.

These terms certainly aren’t helping matters, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention past viruses named after certain regions, particularly those coming from Africa.

Where’s the outrage over names like Ebola and the Zika Virus?

Hell, if I can be petty for a minute, considering how “woke” people claim to be these days, why aren’t we clamoring over the phrase “black on black crime”?

Shouldn’t it just be called “crime” – even if it only involves African Americans?

Just a thought.

As the weeks progress, more and more cases of violence against Asian Americans will inevitably be reported.

This problem could get serious, but the burden of solving it – or raising awareness – doesn’t belong to African Americans.

Nevertheless, for reasons I can’t fathom, dozens of black sympathizers have emerged to speak out against the recent bullying and excoriation of Asian victims.

These individuals should be commended for their efforts and selflessness.

However, in my opinion, it’s asinine for black people to defend other minority groups from racism, especially Asian Americans.

Why?

It’s primarily because of the disrespect and condescension Asians have exhibited toward blacks throughout history, particularly in communities of color.

Granted, in light of the recent shooting deaths of several Asian-American victims by a young white male in Atlanta, I want to make it clear that hate crimes are deplorable and vile. 

I’m not a supporter or advocate of race-related violence – the sudden outbreak of hate-fueled attacks against Asian victims throughout the country has given me a great deal of pause, and sadness. 

With that said, there’s still no getting around the FACT that for decades, Asian-Americans and their immigrant parents and grandparents have generally exhibited a lack of compassion and concern for black people, and black issues. 

In fact, it’s no secret that both groups generally don’t get along with each other, and never really have.  

Despite the millions of black dollars Asian owned businesses receive each year, there have been numerous incidents of racial discrimination and profiling from Asian store owners toward black customers.

In addition, the physical characteristics of blacks people are often mocked and exaggerated in Asian museums, cartoons, and books.

For example, in 2016, scores of critics expressed outrage at the release of a flagrantly racist Chinese Detergent Ad.

It features a young Asian temptress who grabs her black admirer and stuffs him into a washing machine. The detergent transforms him into a fair-skinned Asian male.

This commercial highlights the absence of respect for blacks within the Asian community, and it reflects how they feel about the color of black skin.

In 2011, Satoshi Kanazawa, who was then a Psychology Today blogger, wrote a piece that basically said Black Women Are Less Physically Attractive Than Other Women.  In the post, Kanazawa claimed to present “objective” data to support the claim the Black women (but not Black men) were less attractive than women of other racial groups.

This post was eventually removed from the Psychology Today site, but Kanazawa’s premise highlights a much broader sentiment within the Asian community regarding the appearance of black people.

Last year in March, as COVID-19 unleashed itself on the world, African-Americans were advised to stop traveling to Guangzhou, China, according to an alert issued by the United States consulate in the city

The warning stemmed from a local government-led crackdown targeting people of African origin due to Covid-19 fears, wrote Shi Jiangtao of the South China Morning Post.

The warning followed reports that local authorities had imposed tough measures screening people entering and leaving the city’s “Little Africa” district in Yuexiu district after five Nigerians tested positive for the coronavirus.

As part of the campaign to tighten scrutiny of foreigners, those who appeared to be of African origin and others suspected of having “African contacts” were subjected to mandatory tests, followed by mandatory quarantine, regardless of their recent travel history, the consulate notice said.

It also said members of the city’s sizeable African community had been denied service in hotels, bars and restaurants.

There we’re also media reports that a large number of African students and businesspeople had been evicted from flats and hotels and were having difficulty finding food and shelter.

“The US Consulate General advises African-Americans or those who believe Chinese officials may suspect them of having contact with nationals of African countries to avoid the Guangzhou metropolitan area until further notice,” said the alert.

It also warned that local authorities may require foreigners to take a test and 14 days of supervised quarantine at their own expense, without advance warning.

I’m pointing out these examples to eliminate the possibility of anyone calling me “biased,” “hateful” or “misinformed.”

This is not an attempt by me to denigrate Asian people or their culture, and frankly, I’m against hate crime no matter who it’s toward.

However, as a Black man in America, I honestly don’t give a damn about how Asian Americans are being treated right now.

I’m certainly not inclined to speak in their defense.

After all, they obviously don’t care about us. Why should we care about them?

Cory Haywood
Cory A. Haywood

Cory A. Haywood is a Southern California based writer. Contact him via: [email protected] and/or visit his blog: www.enterthehat.com, or send him a message on Twitter: @coryahaywood

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