Phi discusses Asian Americans as they are caught in the confused crossfire of aligning with or against the police state. He compares the case of Peter Liang to that of Duy Ngo, an officer who experienced police brutality himself in 2003. In Ngo’s case, Phi points out that despite having followed all regulations, Ngo was still subject to life altering racist violence. By bringing this point to the forefront, Phi disposes the myth that Asian-Americans must follow white America’s rules and by doing so will be able to fully assimilate. He draws a connection from communities of color, pointing out that Asian-Americans are treated closer to Black people than white people and in order to find true justice, our communities must stand together for true “meaningful change for all people”
Zen discusses “Chinese conservatism” as a side effect of misinformation, anti-Black racism, rebellion against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and traditional Confucian values which align somewhat with meritocracy and capitalism. The pro-NYPD protests come about from the idea that without the NYPD Asian-American communities would be prey to violence by Black people, an idea supported by right wing racism as well as misinformation via common sources of knowledge like WeChat. These All Lives Matter/Blue Lives Matter protests stem from the real estate/business community of Flushing. However, other Chinese community members like the Asian American Feminist Collective, Chinese for Black Lives, and Red Canary Song showed up shortly after with a counter organizing protest in support of BLM. This piece echos Phi’s sentiment that Asian-Americans seem to view themselves as extremely detached, and perhaps even juxtaposed, to Black Americans. There are also themes of seeking to find/retain law, order, and justice. However, what is brought into question in both readings is: should Asian-Americans be content with the “justice” we have seen so far and can we do better by ourselves and by other communities of color?
The purpose of the letter is to explain to Asian-American family members what is on the line for Black Americans, what their experience has been, and how we play a role in that experience. It seeks to humanize the Black experience and to offer a new perspective in which our communities are actually aligned, not against each other. I feel that the letter meets this goal successfully, as it focuses on what we have on common, while offering some explanation to dissuade racist stereotypes, and also providing a way in which we can take action. This call to action is necessary, direct, and timely.
