oped
BY BETH FINKEL AND
JO-ANN YOO
Imagine for a minute that
you’re simply standing on a
subway platform waiting for
your train. Or maybe you’re
running an errand, shopping
bag in hand. Or you’ve just left
your home for a walk. Then
imagine being punched in the
face, or violently pushed, or set
on fi re or slashed with a knife.
Now imagine that those
things happened to you because
of your race. Random
strangers just walk up to you
and attack you because they
believe in some convoluted and
ridiculous way that you’re responsible
for the coronavirus.
They tell you to go home – to a
different country.
These aren’t fi ctional accounts,
they’re not from some
action movie. They’re real
life. In our city. And they are
increasing. And the targets
are Asian New Yorkers, many
of whom are age 50 or above.
They may be you.
Noel Quintana, a 61-yearold
riding in a subway car, was
slashed ear-to-ear in early February
when he asked his attacker
to stop kicking his bag.
And only a few people stepped
up to help Mr. Quintana, who
was bleeding profusely.
This is more than unacceptable.
And if you think that
these violent acts of hate are
just about the targeted person
or Asians, you are wrong. This
violence affects us all. When
one group is targeted, it places
an indelible stain on our humanity.
That’s why our respective
organizations have risen up to
end this violence and hold our
elected offi cials and our police
stand with us.
Since early 2020, when
Covid-19 locked down New
York City, there have been approximately
incidents and hate crimes directed
seniors. But we know that’s
just a fraction since many of
these incidents go unreported.
That is a horrifying statistic.
There is so much loss this
year: the lives of people who
died from a deadly virus and
the livelihoods of those who
have lost jobs and businesses.
And there’s also the mental
health toll that has affected so
many as we continue to lockdown
and remain socially distant.
We ask our neighbors and
friends of all communities
to stand with us to eradicate
hate. We ask our fellow New
Yorkers to look out for each
other. There are many Asian
New Yorkers working on the
frontlines, from combating the
disease in hospitals to providing
meals to delivering groceries.
They are the people helping
you get through this, one
of the most diffi cult years in
American history, but are being
are sustaining.
Now it’s time to condemn
these attacks, pressure our
lawmakers to address anti-
Asian and anti-immigrant
rhetoric and to punish those
letters & comments
Dear editor,
In his latest tirade the resident
conservative columnist
accountable. We ask you to
500 reports of bias
at the Asian community,
particularly vulnerable
violently treated as outsiders
in the communities they
lavished praise upon the report
of the 1776 Commission,
an outfi t created by the 45th
president in reaction to the
New York Times 1619 Project,
which spotlighted how slavery
contributed mightily to the
unparalled growth and prosperity
of our country. The
1776 Commission was established
to rebut the 1619 Project
and ensure that students
received a “patriotic education”.
Patriotic education is
actually a code phrase for nationalist
propaganda, where
the past is rewritten to suit
the needs of the current rulers.
(See China, Russia). The
commissions’ report was
written not by historians,
but by conservative activists
and contains no footnotes or
citations, a glaring omission
that demonstrates it is not a
serious work of scholarship.
Such an omission would rate
a failing grade if committed
by a high school student.
Yet conservatives have overlooked
the many shortcomings
of the report since it
supports their ideology.
The report of the 1776
Commission has been widely
discredited by true scholars
and historians. James
Grossman, president of the
American Historical Association,
characterized the report
as a “simplistic and inaccurate
narrative of unique
virtue and perpetual progress”;
another scholar found
that the report “reduces history
to hero worship.” The
report is as honest as the
man who created the commission,
Donald Trump.
By citing this fl awed document
the columnist has once
again demonstrated his intellectual
dishonesty.
Pasqual Pelosi
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, MARCH 12-18, 2021 13
LET US HEAR FROM YOU
Letters to the editor are welcome from all readers. They should be addressed
care of this newspaper to Laura Guerriero, Publisher, the Bronx Times Reporter,
3604 E. Tremont Ave., Bronx, NY 10465, or e-mail to bronxtimes@cnglocal.com.
All letters, including those submitted via e-mail, MUST be signed and with a
verifi able address and telephone number included.
Note that the address and telephone number will NOT be published and the
name will be published or withheld upon request.
No unsigned letters can be accepted for publication. The editor reserves the
right to edit all submissions.
who attack our fellow New
Yorkers. Remember, we are all
in this together.
Here are some ways to help
from the Asian American Federation:
Support victims by advocating
for recovery services
offered in Asian languages
to help them heal from the
trauma.
Help promote and practice
ways to diffuse tense situations.
Call on our leaders to go
beyond verbal expressions
of solidarity and take meaningful
actions to provide us
with the resources to navigate
COVID-19 and address the racism
that is plaguing Asian New
Yorkers.
Ask our leaders to demonstrate
their dedication to eradicating
hate and ensuring real
safety by creating a system of
support that allows those who
are being targeted to seek help
in different places and ways.
Urge leaders to invest in
meaningful strategies to bring
marginalized communities together
to build and heal during
and after COVID-19.
Beth Finkel is the State Director
of AARP New York. Jo-
Ann Yoo is the Executive Director
of the Asian American
Federation.
End hate
crimes in NYC!
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