Amy Chan | The sin of silence

Chances Are | In reaction to the lynching threats

By Amy Chan 11/15/16 9:03pm

Up until now, I have always been silent about my political views. As an Asian-American woman, I was taught by my parents to work hard and keep my head down to achieve success. When I was bullied for my race as a kid, my parents told me to ignore the slurs. They told me that if I had good grades, I would show them in the end, that this would be the best form of fighting back. I understand that they only wanted to keep me safe, and acceptance was their form of survival.

However, I can no longer remain silent. When I think about how the black freshmen added to the racist GroupMe were only trying to study in school when a group from the University of Oklahoma one day decided that they threaten their well-being, I become angry.

To all the black students at Penn, I just want to say I’m sorry. I’m sorry that you have been singled out as a group to be exterminated and hated. I’m sorry that Penn is supposed to be your home and you no longer feel safe. I’m sorry that up until now I have not been a louder advocate for your rights because I was so busy thinking of my own.

What happened to you can be called nothing less than a hate crime. This is not a joke, this is not merely discrimination, this was a precursor to violence. You are human beings, and you deserve no less than anyone else, white, yellow or brown, to live and to live freely.

Being a part of the Asian-American community means that we are centered around silence. We are seen but never heard. Our complicity in white privilege grants us our own privilege. We are called slurs by whites, we are asked if we can speak English well, but there is, for the most part, never explicit violence against us. We even have some of the highest salaries in the United States, on par with or more than those of white people. It is for these reasons we are called the “model minority."  We become afraid of losing this condescending marker, so we remain quiet. If we have to put up with the implicit racism to be accepted by the white majority, then it’s not acceptance, but toleration.

The Asian-American community must wake up. If we think that this violence against black people and other marginalized groups does not affect us, we are naive. This intolerance of the “other” applies to all groups that do not fit the norm. With our slanted eyes and our yellow skin, we too are the “other.” If the Asian-American community, with our silence, allows this action against marginalized groups to continue, how long before the hatred turns against us? America already has a history of racism against Asian people. Consider the Japanese concentration camps and the Chinese Exclusion Act.

If we Asian Americans recognize the danger but refuse to act unless we ourselves are threatened, we are selfish. In times like these, when entire existences are being jeopardized, the only thing standing between someone and his marginalization are the people brave enough to fight for him. In the midst of hostility, in the midst of division, all we have is our solidarity. I am not afraid to say that if you do nothing at this time, I am ashamed of you.

If you feel unsure of what to do, or if you feel like what you do won’t matter, do something anyway. If you are afraid, so am I. I am afraid even now writing this article. I am afraid that what I say sounds empty or that it is not sufficient to create change. But I am still here, crying out for action, because I know that I must do something, however small. Saying something on behalf of your friend, telling someone to stop spreading hatred — that is creating change, and we can all do that.

As for me, this is my promise to you, black students, Latinx students, LGBTQ students, to do better. I will not stay quiet. I will fight for you. I will mobilize. I admit that I am not always the most informed, but that is changing. I will learn all I can about policies and legislature. I will vote not once every four years but consistently throughout the period. I will join activist groups and campaign for my beliefs. I will raise awareness about your rights. And I will speak up for you when you need me.