Nearly a year after they were nearly stabbed to death in a Midland, Texas, Sam’s Club, Bawi Cung, and his two sons all have visible scars.
However, it is the invisible ones that are more difficult to overcome. Cung cannot walk through a store without constantly looking in all directions. His 6-year-old son, who can no longer move an eyebrow, does not dare to sleep alone.
On a Saturday night in March, as COVID-19 panic shopping swept the nation, Cung was looking for rice at a cheaper price. The family was in the meat department of the Sam’s Club when Cung suddenly felt a blow to the back of the head. A man he did not know then slapped his face with a knife. The attacker took off but soon returned to stab the boys. He injured the 3-year-old in the back and cut the 6-year-old from his right eye to inches past his right ear.
The horrific encounter brought back the dangerous climate that Asian Americans have experienced since the coronavirus entered the US, with racially motivated harassment and attacks from coast to coast.
Now, just over a year and thousands of incidents later, some of the early victims are finding it difficult, or bittersweet at best, to move forward. A recent wave of attacks on elderly Asian Americans – including the death of an 84-year-old man from San Francisco – has sparked concern that hostilities have only gotten worse.
In Cung’s case, the man responsible for the attack believed the Myanmar man and his children were Chinese and were spreading the virus, the FBI said.
Cung said he’s not sure what would have happened if a Sam’s Club employee, Zach Owen, hadn’t intervened.
“Maybe I might kill him. Maybe he’ll kill my whole family. I don’t know, ”Cung said. “God protected my family, God sent Zach to protect my family there at the right time.”
Owen, who was stabbed in the leg and cut deep in the right palm, and an off-duty Border Patrol agent detained the suspect, Jose Gomez, 19.
Verbal attacks have also left a lasting impression.
In April, a confrontation in a park in Richmond, California had an irrevocable impact not only on Kelly Yang, 36, but her children as well. She was forced to discuss anti-Asian racism with her 10-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter – a conversation she thought would happen for a few more years. An elderly white couple, angry at her unleashed dog named Yang, who is Chinese American, an “Oriental,” said the words many Asian Americans fear: “Go back where you came from.”
Her children thought the couple was for them to go home. Torn, Yang finally explained that they meant “we would go back to Asia.”
“It means we’re not welcome here.”
Her son burst into tears.
Yang believes the pair were encouraged by then-President Donald Trump’s use of racially-laden terms like ‘Chinese virus’. She applauded President Joe Biden’s recent executive order condemning anti-Asian xenophobia as a good start. But Yang is concerned that many non-Asians have already let the issue shake off as if it ended when Trump’s presidency did.
“I don’t know what can be done,” said Yang, who writes novels for young adults and plans to use her experience in her next book. “But I do know how to talk about it, recognize it, remember it – that’s what we do with wars – we have to remember what happened.”
Douglas Kim, 42, chef and owner of the Jeju Noodle Bar in New York City, is confident that COVID-19-fueled racism caused the destruction of his Michelin-star Korean restaurant in April. Someone used a Sharpie to scribble ‘Stop Eating Dogs’ on the winter tibule, referring to a stereotype about Asian cuisines. In the end, Kim decided not to report it.
“It pissed me off at the time, but I have more important things to worry about,” said Kim. “Maintaining a business is more important.”
He shared a photo of the graffiti on Instagram to draw attention to hate crimes. There was a tidal wave of support, but he feels much of it has faded.
Still, Kim hopes that fewer people stereotype Asian Americans as foreigners who don’t belong in the US
“I think it’s all about education,” said Kim. ‘If you raise your children that way, they will learn that way. I think things are changing, but it’s not 100% yet. That’s why someone clearly wrote that on our door. “
As of mid-March 2020, more than 3,000 incidents have been reported to Stop AAPI Hate, a California-based hotline for Asian-American Pacific Islanders, and its affiliate advocacy groups. What’s frustrating is that the encounters don’t often lead to the legal definition of a hate crime. Still, police in several major cities saw a surge in Asian-focused hate crimes between 2019 and 2020, according to data collected by the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism, California State University, San Bernardino. New York City went from three incidents to 27, Los Angeles from seven to 15, and Denver had three incidents in 2020 – the first reported there in six years.
A spate of crimes victimized by older Asian Americans in the past two months has sparked renewed outrage for increased attention from politicians and the media. On Wednesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the legislation allocating $ 1.4 million to Stop AAPI Hate and the UCLA Asian American Studies Center. Funding will go towards community resources and the further investigation of anti-Asian hate speech incidents.
Local officials and citizens have also taken note. Initiatives such as increased police presence, voluntary patrols and dedicated crime hotlines are being realized. Major brands such as Golden State Warriors and Apple, based in the Bay Area, have pledged to donate to charity.
Cynthia Choi, of Stop AAPI Hate, wants news cycles to focus not only on the latest crimes, but also on the solutions being discussed. Police care and prosecution aren’t necessarily the answers, she said. COVID-19 vitriol is rooted in more than a century of anti-Chinese and anti-immigrant attitudes. She and other advocates think more investment in education and community resources can help uncover those root causes. Anti-Asian xenophobia should be part of the ongoing talks about racial settlement, Choi added.
“Our work to tackle anti-Asian racism is inseparable from fighting anti-black racism,” said Choi. “It takes us all, it takes public education efforts, it takes racial solidarity efforts that really bring our communities together.”
Before Cung, the Texas hate crime survivor, emigrated to the US six years ago, he had never encountered racism. Now it is difficult for him to hear stories of anti-Asian American violence. Initially after the attack, Cung struggled with how Gomez tried to kill him simply because of his appearance. Now he is praying for his attacker.
As for what should be done with Gomez, who is still in prison for three capital murder attempts, Cung said that is up to the court.
“I can forgive him, but we cannot accept racism or terrorist attacks like that,” said Cung, who received more than $ 20,000 in online donations.
One thing he looks forward to – living as a freshly naturalized American citizen in a country where “they respect people.” Cung remains unfazed that he may not fit some people’s idea of what America is like.
“Maybe they have personal racism,” Cung said. ‘I do not give a hoot. I am proud to be Asian and Asian American. “
Tang reported from Phoenix and is a member of The Associated Press Race and Ethnicity team. Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ttangAP