Articles and videos for those in the Asian American community who have yet to confront their own biases and complicity in a racist system.
Addressing the model minority myth in the context of an article written by Andrew Sullivan and exploring the ways in which this myth has been fueled by political convenience and racial resentment.
Some people believe that Asian Americans are more successful because we “grind” harder. This article presents research that shows the real reason is because Asian Americans started receiving better opportunities on average because of postwar racial attitudes.
“In light of the growing wave of anti-Asian violence under COVID-19, we wanted to contextualize current racial tensions between Black and Asian communities within a historical analysis of Black and Asian solidarity in New York City. Through this discussion we hope to lift up examples of how our communities have come together in other times of crisis in this city, and to imagine better responses to violence than to dismiss anti-Asian violence or to call the police as a solution.”
“As participants in hip hop culture, we think it is CRUCIAL to express the fundamental belief that black LIVES matter. Not just black cultural products, like hip hop. We would not be here without the BLACK LIVES responsible for creating the art form we practice every day. We will not be complicit in the erasure of black bodies from the mainstream of the culture.” - Jillian Roberts, Mint Dance Team.
i-D asked creators their opinions on the line between cultural appropriation and appreciation.
Discussing the ways in which Asian hip hop has been influenced by and takes from black culture at the same time many Asian cultures continue to perpetuate negative stereotypes about people with darker skin.
If you don’t understand the idea of systemic racism or don’t think it exists in this country, read this. Systemic racism goes beyond anecdotes– it’s cemented in our nation’s very foundations.
A series of articles. “The 1619 Project is an ongoing initiative from The New York Times Magazine that began in August 2019, the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.”
“Many sociologists, though, are extremely critical of colorblindness as an ideology. They argue that as the mechanisms that reproduce racial inequality have become more covert and obscure than they were during the era of open, legal segregation, the language of explicit racism has given way to a discourse of colorblindness. But they fear that the refusal to take public note of race actually allows people to ignore manifestations of persistent discrimination.”
A thorough report on America’s history of structural and institutional racism that limits the opportunities of Black Americans. It is easy to overlook these factors and label Blacks as “lazy” or to blame inequalities on a shared “Black culture;” however doing so would ignore an entire history of oppression that is ingrained in all of our lives and institutions.
Exercise empathy. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes. NYT Readers share what it’s like running while black in the wake of Ahmaud Arbery’s fatal shooting.
“Nearly five years after Michael Brown’s death and mass protests in Ferguson, Missouri, sparked a national conversation about policing, a set of patterns have emerged. Those killed are disproportionately black and more often than not blamed for their own deaths or demonized in the process. Police officers facing questions about the use of force do not always tell the truth or face penalties when they lie. Prosecutors who must face voters at election time and work with police officers each day are often loathe to bring charges. When they do, juries and judges are reticent to convict.”