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| How Asian-American Leaders Are Grappling With Xenophobia Amid Coronavirus | How Asian-American Leaders Are Grappling With Xenophobia Amid Coronavirus |
| (3 days later) | |
| Soon after President Trump first uttered the phrase “Chinese virus,” Representative Grace Meng got a call from her parents, who had read about it in the newspaper. Had Mr. Trump, they wondered, really given the coronavirus that corrosive moniker? | Soon after President Trump first uttered the phrase “Chinese virus,” Representative Grace Meng got a call from her parents, who had read about it in the newspaper. Had Mr. Trump, they wondered, really given the coronavirus that corrosive moniker? |
| Yes, she told them, indeed he had. And no, despite being a member of Congress and her parents’ continued pleas, there was nothing she could do to make him stop. | Yes, she told them, indeed he had. And no, despite being a member of Congress and her parents’ continued pleas, there was nothing she could do to make him stop. |
| “I have, at times, felt helpless,” said Ms. Meng, a Democrat from New York whose large and multicultural district encompasses many neighborhoods in Queens, including Flushing. “Hearing stories consistently from around the world where people are being harassed and assaulted really reminds me that often times we are, as a community, still viewed as outsiders.” | “I have, at times, felt helpless,” said Ms. Meng, a Democrat from New York whose large and multicultural district encompasses many neighborhoods in Queens, including Flushing. “Hearing stories consistently from around the world where people are being harassed and assaulted really reminds me that often times we are, as a community, still viewed as outsiders.” |
| After enduring decades of exclusion, racism and discrimination that include some of the darkest chapters of American history, Asian-Americans entered 2020 with reason for optimism on the political front. A wave of second-generation Asian-Americans had come of age, sparking hope that they could help break voter turnout records in the fall. And three people with roots in the diaspora had run for the country’s highest office during the same cycle, with one of them, Andrew Yang, energizing Asian-American voters in a fashion seldom seen before. | After enduring decades of exclusion, racism and discrimination that include some of the darkest chapters of American history, Asian-Americans entered 2020 with reason for optimism on the political front. A wave of second-generation Asian-Americans had come of age, sparking hope that they could help break voter turnout records in the fall. And three people with roots in the diaspora had run for the country’s highest office during the same cycle, with one of them, Andrew Yang, energizing Asian-American voters in a fashion seldom seen before. |
| And then along came the coronavirus — a pandemic that unleashed a torrent of hate and violence as bigots blamed Asian-Americans for the outbreak. In recent weeks, they have been yelled at, spit on, physically attacked and more, leading at least three organizations to begin tracking the episodes. Hundreds of people have filed reports, the groups say, though an untold number of incidents have most likely gone uncounted as victims have chosen to keep quiet. | And then along came the coronavirus — a pandemic that unleashed a torrent of hate and violence as bigots blamed Asian-Americans for the outbreak. In recent weeks, they have been yelled at, spit on, physically attacked and more, leading at least three organizations to begin tracking the episodes. Hundreds of people have filed reports, the groups say, though an untold number of incidents have most likely gone uncounted as victims have chosen to keep quiet. |
| In interviews, a dozen Asian-American politicians, academics and leaders of nonprofit groups denounced the racial animus that has shown itself during the crisis, vowing to speak out against it and to protect their community even as they personally acknowledged feeling angry, fearful and unsettled. | In interviews, a dozen Asian-American politicians, academics and leaders of nonprofit groups denounced the racial animus that has shown itself during the crisis, vowing to speak out against it and to protect their community even as they personally acknowledged feeling angry, fearful and unsettled. |
| “They are doing this because they have certain political motives and they are not taking into account the effect of their actions on other huge groups of people, including Asian-Americans,” Representative Judy Chu, Democrat of California, said of her Republican counterparts in Congress and the White House. “I hope this wakes people up.” | “They are doing this because they have certain political motives and they are not taking into account the effect of their actions on other huge groups of people, including Asian-Americans,” Representative Judy Chu, Democrat of California, said of her Republican counterparts in Congress and the White House. “I hope this wakes people up.” |
| Some of those interviewed expressed cautious hope that the events of the past several weeks might unite the sprawling and diverse Asian-American community in a productive way that could build on the political momentum that has been bubbling in recent years. | Some of those interviewed expressed cautious hope that the events of the past several weeks might unite the sprawling and diverse Asian-American community in a productive way that could build on the political momentum that has been bubbling in recent years. |
| But they also spoke of a profound sadness; despite a long struggle for hard-won educational, economic and political gains, the xenophobic attacks and political rhetoric of the last month have served as a reminder that, especially under Mr. Trump, Asian-Americans may never fully be able to shake the feeling that they are perpetual foreigners. | But they also spoke of a profound sadness; despite a long struggle for hard-won educational, economic and political gains, the xenophobic attacks and political rhetoric of the last month have served as a reminder that, especially under Mr. Trump, Asian-Americans may never fully be able to shake the feeling that they are perpetual foreigners. |
| “These stereotypes have been here for decades,” Ms. Chu said. “They’re always kind of underneath the surface. But if there’s some precipitating event, then it can bring it all back out.” | “These stereotypes have been here for decades,” Ms. Chu said. “They’re always kind of underneath the surface. But if there’s some precipitating event, then it can bring it all back out.” |
| Mr. Yang put it bluntly: “People around the country all of a sudden are being targeted in ways they’ve never experienced before. It’s very depressing.” | Mr. Yang put it bluntly: “People around the country all of a sudden are being targeted in ways they’ve never experienced before. It’s very depressing.” |
| The racist abuse on display has evoked painful memories. Asian-American leaders were quick to recall the government-sponsored discrimination baked into the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and Japanese internment in the 1940s. Experts say those events and others contributed to the perpetual foreigner and “Yellow Peril” myths that promoted the false ideas that people with Asian features were disease carriers, a threat to the nation and could never truly become American. | The racist abuse on display has evoked painful memories. Asian-American leaders were quick to recall the government-sponsored discrimination baked into the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and Japanese internment in the 1940s. Experts say those events and others contributed to the perpetual foreigner and “Yellow Peril” myths that promoted the false ideas that people with Asian features were disease carriers, a threat to the nation and could never truly become American. |
| In other words, said Janelle Wong, a professor of American studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, “You still are assumed to eat bat soup.” | In other words, said Janelle Wong, a professor of American studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, “You still are assumed to eat bat soup.” |
| For other leaders, it was the 1982 slaying of Vincent Chin — who was beaten to death in Detroit by two autoworkers in the midst of a recession — that came to mind. | For other leaders, it was the 1982 slaying of Vincent Chin — who was beaten to death in Detroit by two autoworkers in the midst of a recession — that came to mind. |
| And still others said the current situation contained strong echoes of the period after Sept. 11, 2001, when “anyone who was brown was equated with being a terrorist,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, a professor of political science at the University of California, Riverside. | And still others said the current situation contained strong echoes of the period after Sept. 11, 2001, when “anyone who was brown was equated with being a terrorist,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, a professor of political science at the University of California, Riverside. |
| “I was really fearful back in those days that they were going start rounding up Muslims the way they did with my grandparents and my parents,” said Mark Takano, a Japanese-American congressman from Riverside, Calif., whose father still has scars on his legs from internment. “We as Asian-Americans know that in times like these, mass blame and mass guilt gets assigned to a group of people.” | “I was really fearful back in those days that they were going start rounding up Muslims the way they did with my grandparents and my parents,” said Mark Takano, a Japanese-American congressman from Riverside, Calif., whose father still has scars on his legs from internment. “We as Asian-Americans know that in times like these, mass blame and mass guilt gets assigned to a group of people.” |
| That the situation hits so close to home has made the messaging coming from Mr. Trump and some Republicans all the more frustrating to Democratic lawmakers like Mr. Takano, Ms. Chu and Ms. Meng, whose complaints have been backed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi. | That the situation hits so close to home has made the messaging coming from Mr. Trump and some Republicans all the more frustrating to Democratic lawmakers like Mr. Takano, Ms. Chu and Ms. Meng, whose complaints have been backed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi. |
| For days, Mr. Trump insisted on calling the virus that causes Covid-19 the “Chinese virus” — a term he initially defended as “not racist at all” because, he said, the virus “comes from China.” | For days, Mr. Trump insisted on calling the virus that causes Covid-19 the “Chinese virus” — a term he initially defended as “not racist at all” because, he said, the virus “comes from China.” |
| Some of Mr. Trump’s advisers and allies, like Kellyanne Conway, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, have similarly argued for the use of the phrase, citing both the virus’s origin and a desire to hold the Chinese government accountable for its slow public acknowledgment of the extent of the crisis. | Some of Mr. Trump’s advisers and allies, like Kellyanne Conway, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, have similarly argued for the use of the phrase, citing both the virus’s origin and a desire to hold the Chinese government accountable for its slow public acknowledgment of the extent of the crisis. |
| Those talking points were subsequently picked up by some corners of conservative media and by Republican lawmakers like Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the House minority leader, and Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, who repeated the “Chinese virus” language publicly. | Those talking points were subsequently picked up by some corners of conservative media and by Republican lawmakers like Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the House minority leader, and Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, who repeated the “Chinese virus” language publicly. |
| Historians, public health experts and groups including the World Health Organization have recommended against assigning names to infectious diseases that include a geographic location and have emphasized that associating them with an ethnic group can lead to discrimination and xenophobia. | Historians, public health experts and groups including the World Health Organization have recommended against assigning names to infectious diseases that include a geographic location and have emphasized that associating them with an ethnic group can lead to discrimination and xenophobia. |
| Asian-American leaders in particular have sounded the alarm about Republican messaging that they say stigmatizes their community and fans racism. Ms. Chu, who is chairwoman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, sent a letter to her colleagues last month urging them not to spread misconceptions. Mr. Takano said he personally spoke to Mr. McCarthy and asked him to stop using the term “Chinese coronavirus.” And Ms. Meng recently introduced a resolution condemning anti-Asian sentiment connected to the virus. | Asian-American leaders in particular have sounded the alarm about Republican messaging that they say stigmatizes their community and fans racism. Ms. Chu, who is chairwoman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, sent a letter to her colleagues last month urging them not to spread misconceptions. Mr. Takano said he personally spoke to Mr. McCarthy and asked him to stop using the term “Chinese coronavirus.” And Ms. Meng recently introduced a resolution condemning anti-Asian sentiment connected to the virus. |
| Amid the outcry, Mr. Trump eventually stopped using the phrase and said publicly that it was “very important that we totally protect our Asian-American community in the United States” adding that the virus was “NOT their fault in any way.” | Amid the outcry, Mr. Trump eventually stopped using the phrase and said publicly that it was “very important that we totally protect our Asian-American community in the United States” adding that the virus was “NOT their fault in any way.” |
| Updated June 12, 2020 | Updated June 12, 2020 |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. |
| Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. | Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. |
| The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. | The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| Democratic lawmakers said his statements came too late, and experts noted that even in walking back his use of the phrase, Mr. Trump had referred to Asian-Americans using language that reinforced the idea that they are an “other.” “They are working closely with us to get rid of it,” Mr. Trump tweeted. | Democratic lawmakers said his statements came too late, and experts noted that even in walking back his use of the phrase, Mr. Trump had referred to Asian-Americans using language that reinforced the idea that they are an “other.” “They are working closely with us to get rid of it,” Mr. Trump tweeted. |
| The criticism from Asian-American lawmakers in Congress has fallen along party lines in part because there are no Republican Asian-American or Pacific-Islander members of Congress aside from Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, the nonvoting delegate who represents American Samoa. | The criticism from Asian-American lawmakers in Congress has fallen along party lines in part because there are no Republican Asian-American or Pacific-Islander members of Congress aside from Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, the nonvoting delegate who represents American Samoa. |
| Young Kim, a former state assemblywoman who is one of several Asian-American Republicans currently running for Congress, appeared to distance herself from Mr. Trump’s “Chinese virus” rhetoric. | Young Kim, a former state assemblywoman who is one of several Asian-American Republicans currently running for Congress, appeared to distance herself from Mr. Trump’s “Chinese virus” rhetoric. |
| “This virus is not spread by any one group and does not discriminate based on gender, ethnicity, race, or social class. It affects everyone,” she said in a statement. “Now is not the time for division, labeling, or name calling.” | “This virus is not spread by any one group and does not discriminate based on gender, ethnicity, race, or social class. It affects everyone,” she said in a statement. “Now is not the time for division, labeling, or name calling.” |
| Dan Hom, who chairs the advisory board of the Asian Business Association of San Diego, said he found the racist acts targeting Asian-Americans “inexcusable,” but added that he supported Mr. Trump’s handling of the crisis. | Dan Hom, who chairs the advisory board of the Asian Business Association of San Diego, said he found the racist acts targeting Asian-Americans “inexcusable,” but added that he supported Mr. Trump’s handling of the crisis. |
| “I believe the president is holding China accountable,” Mr. Hom, a Republican, said. “If you start with the premise that the president’s a racist, then anything he says or he does, you’re going to say he’s a racist.” | “I believe the president is holding China accountable,” Mr. Hom, a Republican, said. “If you start with the premise that the president’s a racist, then anything he says or he does, you’re going to say he’s a racist.” |
| Mr. Yang, the former presidential candidate who largely sought to avoid attacking Mr. Trump during his campaign, said he saw the president’s language as an attempt “to distract from his administration’s slow response to the coronavirus” and was disheartened by his decision to inflame hostilities. | Mr. Yang, the former presidential candidate who largely sought to avoid attacking Mr. Trump during his campaign, said he saw the president’s language as an attempt “to distract from his administration’s slow response to the coronavirus” and was disheartened by his decision to inflame hostilities. |
| Mr. Yang said that over the past several weeks, he, too, had experienced sudden moments of self-consciousness while in public. And he had been acutely reminded of the sadness and anger he felt as a child when he was one of only a few Asian-Americans at his school. | Mr. Yang said that over the past several weeks, he, too, had experienced sudden moments of self-consciousness while in public. And he had been acutely reminded of the sadness and anger he felt as a child when he was one of only a few Asian-Americans at his school. |
| “It’s been a real uphill battle over my lifetime and it feels like we’ve made really dramatic progress,” he said. “And then it feels like we’re being sent backward in various ways — and that’s painful.” | “It’s been a real uphill battle over my lifetime and it feels like we’ve made really dramatic progress,” he said. “And then it feels like we’re being sent backward in various ways — and that’s painful.” |
| Ms. Meng expressed similar sentiments, saying that for perhaps the first extended period in her life, she could not be sure “how someone will react to me at any given time.” | Ms. Meng expressed similar sentiments, saying that for perhaps the first extended period in her life, she could not be sure “how someone will react to me at any given time.” |
| “You finally have that feeling like, ‘Oh, we’ve made it.’ My parents’ generation — that first generation of immigrants — their sacrifices were worth it. We are now accepted,” she said. “For this to happen brings up these feelings that I always assumed were part of people’s history. They are now something we have to deal with.” | “You finally have that feeling like, ‘Oh, we’ve made it.’ My parents’ generation — that first generation of immigrants — their sacrifices were worth it. We are now accepted,” she said. “For this to happen brings up these feelings that I always assumed were part of people’s history. They are now something we have to deal with.” |