We don’t actually know the number of hate crimes that are taking place in America because the United States Government isn’t known for keeping an accurate tally. What we do know is that there are hate crimes in America, and in the age of coronavirus, an increasing amount of them have been toward Asians.
Jeremy Lin, one of the most noteworthy Asian American athletes in NBA history, has been playing in the G League this season with the Santa Cruz Warriors. (Playing quite well, too, averaging 19.6 points and 7.2 assists while shooting over 48 percent from both the field and three.) But the Harvard graduate recently took to Instagram to speak about the racism Asian Americans have faced in this country, which has heightened over the last year amid the COVID pandemic which first impacted Wuhan, China. It was a post that came following an appearance on NBC Bay Area.
“Something is changing in this generation of Asian Americans. We are tired of being told that we don’t experience racism,” Lin wrote on IG. “We are tired of being told to keep our heads down and not make trouble. We are tired of Asian American kids growing up and being asked where they’re REALLY from, of having our eyes mocked, of being objectified as exotic or being told we’re inherently unattractive. We are tired of the stereotypes in Hollywood affecting our psyche and limiting who we think we can be. We are tired of being invisible, of being mistaken for our colleague or told our struggles aren’t as real.”
Lin also went as far as to reveal that he has been called ‘coronavirus’ on the court.
“Being an Asian American doesn’t mean we don’t experience poverty and racism. Being a 9-year NBA veteran doesn’t protect me from being called ‘coronavirus’ on the court. Being a man of faith doesn’t mean I don’t fight for justice, for myself and for others. So here we are again, sharing how we feel. IS ANYONE LISTENING??”
Lin has long spoken on the racism Asians have faced in America amid the pandemic, and the hate crimes that have been demonstrated toward them. Last March, he called out former President Donald Trump for his use of the term “Chinese virus,” and emboldening racists during the outbreak of COVID in America.
And overall, Lin’s not asking for very much, primarily just for people to listen, and preferably, to be kind.