Afro Asian Tensions in History

Black and Asian Animosity

The “Model Minority” myth was used as a racial wedge between Asians and African Americans. It’s perceived that one group (Asian Americans) has achieved a higher degree of socioeconomic success than the population average. This myth has had an influence on society today when it comes to Asian Amercians. Even though they’re a minority, they’re looked at as the superior over the black community. Asian-Americans were afforded better jobs not simply because of educational attainment, but in part because they were treated better. This is one of the factors to the long standing resentment of these two groups.

The Killing of Latasha Harlins

Latasha Harlins was a 15 year old African-American girl who was fatally shot by Soon Ja Du, a 51-year-old Korean-born female convenience store owner. Du claimed it was self defense and that her life was in danger, even though the security cameras said otherwise. The verdict was that Du was sentenced to five years probation and 400 hours of community service. This killing is believed to be one of the factors to the 1992 L.A riots with the police brutality of Rodney King.

Latasha Harlins (left) Soon Ja Du (right)

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/harlins-latasha-1975-1991/

The link goes more in depth about Latasha Harlins’ killing

Black Lives Matter

Akai Gurley

Akai Gurley was a 28 year old Afican American man who was shot by Asian American Peter Liang, on November 28th 2014. The shooting occurred in Brooklyn, New York. Two police officers were patrolling the stairwells of one of the buildings in NY, the Louis H. Pink Houses. Peter Liang entered a pitch-dark, unlit stairwell, with his firearm drawn. Gurley and his girlfriend entered the seventh-floor stairwell quite a few steps below them. Liang fired his weapon; his shot ricocheted off a wall and fatally struck Gurley in the chest. But the video reviewed showed that his gun could not have been fired unintentionally. The initial conviction had Liang facing up to 15 years of prison time. Many people, mostly the Asian American community believed that Liang was a scapegoat because he became the first NYPD officer to be convicted of an on-duty shooting in over a decade.

Akai Gurley (left) Peter Liang (right)

https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexronan/the-life-and-death-of-akai-gurley

This article goes more in depth about Akai Gurley’s killing

George Floyd

The recent circumstances surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement have brought to light the racism in American society. Not only that, but Asian American police officer Tou Thao’s complicity in the murder of George Floyd. Thao defended fellow officer Derek Chauvin from passersby who attempted to intervene in the brutal killing of George Floyd. It indicates the Black-Asian tensions lurking underneath the traditional racial narrative between Whites and minorities. Which goes back to the “Model Minority” myth, that goes with how White people portray Asian Americans. George Floyd was suffocated for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, over the fact that he supposedly had a counterfeit bill.

George Floyd

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52861726

This link goes into depth about George Floyd’s death.