By Jaclyn Quan

    In early March, a viral video was posted on Twitter which showed a male subway rider in New York City standing from his seat and yelling at a fellow passenger, who was of Asian descent, across from him to move away. When the passenger did not respond, the male rider took out a Febreze freshener and sprayed it in the passenger’s direction. NBC New York reported that an investigation of the incident has been launched by the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force since the video’s release.  

    As the number of COVID-19 cases increase each day, so have instances of racial harassment against the Asian American community. Now, it has become more common to read story after story about individuals of Asian descent being verbally or physically harassed while doing everyday activities such as walking down the street or taking the subway. 

    According to the FBI Intelligence report obtained by ABC News, “The FBI assesses hate crime incidents against Asian Americans likely will surge across the United States due to the spread of coronavirus disease [and] based on the assumption that a portion of the US public will associate COVID-19 with China and Asian American populations.”

    However, what is even more unsettling about the racism against Asians amid the current pandemic came from a statement that was made by the President of the United States during a press conference on March 18. Although the proper term for the virus is COVID-19, President Donald Trump insisted on referring to the coronavirus as the “Chinese virus” despite many people correcting him and pointing out how the label was inappropriate. Nevertheless, Trump defended his statement by justifying that the virus originated in China, and thus, it is not derogatory to call it the “Chinese virus.”

    While it may be true that the first case of  COVID-19 originated in China, it is important for Trump, as someone who is in a high position within our government, to understand the ramifications his words have on the Asian American community, which has endured countless racial attacks since the outbreak. By labeling COVID-19 as a “Chinese virus,” Trump is indirectly shifting the cause of the pandemic towards people of East Asian descent and using fear-mongering that will lead his supporters into thinking that it is appropriate to condone racist and xenophobic behaviors.   

   Despite being a Chinese American who lives in a predominantly Asian community in Southern California, these recent events have made me question the overall position that I have in this country. As I leave behind my community to start a new future, I realize that life outside the San Gabriel Valley will not be so easy. 

   Because Asians only make up about 5.6 percent  of the total US population according to the 2017 US Census Bureau, I understand that I am outnumbered and unfortunately will have to confront hateful attacks based on my race at one point in my life. 

     There is no denying the fact that COVID-19 originated in China. However, this does not justify racist attitudes toward Asian people Viruses can originate in any parts of the world such as the 2009 swine flu pandemic in North America and the 1918 Spanish flu in Spain. 

    Making derogatory remarks towards Asians based on outdated stereotypes or telling them to“go back to where they came from” will not help this country get through a pandemic.