I’m an Asian. Not the typical-looking Asian. I’m more Hispanic-looking, with medium brown eyes and a fair complexion, something I acquired from my Spanish fraternal ancestors.  But, definitely Asian – a Filipino-Canadian who has made Toronto his home for the past 40 years. Over the years, I’ve encountered racial innuendos hurled at my ethnicity but nothing that turned into any form of physicality. Maybe because I’m a man or maybe because I project the appearance of someone who knows how to defend himself when push comes to shove. I did karate when I was living in the Philippines and my being exposed to the core of Manila where I was born and raised before emigrating made me streetwise.

> This pandemic has brought out the animal in people who feel a sense of entitlement in Canada. As of March 23, 2021, more than 1,150 cases of racist attacks were reported online since the pandemic became official a year ago.  Almost 75% were verbally harassed. One in 10 Asians reported being spat on or coughed at, 11% subjected to unwanted touching or physical assault. One in 5 took place in restaurants and supermarkets and almost half these attacks happened in parks, streets, and sidewalks. What has alarmed authorities is that half of the 1,150 cases took place just this year alone with children the target more than adults, causing them mental and emotional trauma which can hinder their development. 

> In the US, Asian seniors recently have been the target of these hate crimes. I call them hate crimes because that’s what they are. They originated from the 45th president’s rhetoric on the source of this virus which he referred to as China virus or kung flu during his last year in office and spilled over to Canada which has developed a rather cool relationship with China because of the detention of two Canadians as a result of the arrest in Vancouver of a high ranking Huawei official, a compliance to the extradition treaty between Canada and the US. A recent victim of this anti-Asian crime is 75-year-old Xiao Zhen Xie who was punched in the face while waiting for the light to change in Market Street in SFO, California. She fought back, hitting the 39-year old white male assailant with a piece of wood, thus putting him on a stretcher. Xie’s grandson entered her name in the GoFundMe fundraising platform to help in her medical fees and was able to raise a million dollars which she donated to fight anti-Asian racism.

> Ignorance springs from lack of knowledge. It can be bliss. It can be hurtful. When it leads to physicality, it can end in crime. Sadly, there are some people in Canada and in the US who choose to be ignorant despite the facts that are presented to their faces.