Dear , it’s time to address our anti-black racism

JENNY CHONG
MiC Staff Writer

A statement from the 
Black Student Union

“Are you sure you want to go to 
school there? Isn’t it near Detroit, 
which is full of dangerous black 
people?” said my Chinese dad after 
I had gotten accepted to the Uni-
versity of Michigan last spring. 
My dad was not supportive of my 
decision to enroll at the University 
for a few reasons — one of them 
being his perception of Michigan 
as a crime-ridden state overflow-
ing with violence among the black 
community. 
I told him, “Actually, the Univer-
sity isn’t that close to Detroit, and 

the black population at the school is 
less than 5 percent.” 
“Oh, of course there aren’t a lot 
of black people attending. They’re 
too lazy to get in,” he responded. 
Appalled at the words that had 
just come out of my dad’s mouth, I 
expressed my disgust. “That’s rac-
ist. You shouldn’t say that,” I said, 
leaving the conversation at that 
without reading into his anti-black 
racist statements. 
Unaware of it at the time, I had 
enabled my dad to continue believ-
ing his racist behavior was accept-
able by not speaking up. In being 
silent, I was also at fault for subcon-
sciously perpetuating anti-black 

racism. One year later, in the wake 
of the recent violence and brutality 
against members of the Black com-
munity, I am reflecting on the past 
in an attempt to unearth my inter-
nalized anti-blackness and learn 
how to be an Asian-American ally. 
On May 25, George Floyd, who 
was a 46-year-old black man died 
in the custody of four Minneapolis 
police officers, among them, Tou 
Thao, a Hmong-American. In a 
video of Floyd’s arrest, Thao is seen 
looking on as his partner, Derek 
Chauvin, holds his knee to Floyd’s 
neck for nearly nine minutes. 

The Black Student Union at the 
University of Michigan would first 
like to extend wholehearted con-
dolences to the families of recent 
victims of police brutality: Bre-
onna Taylor, George Floyd, David 
McAtee and Tony McDade. How-
ever, our concerns and expressions 
are not limited to these victims as 
there have been countless instanc-
es of police abuse for as long as 
this country has existed. The most 
well-known are those from the past 
decade, where we have witnessed 
many unjust murders of Black folks 
at the hands of police. To name a 
few: Gabriella Nevarez, Mya Hall 
and Atatiana Jefferson. So, the 
questions we should ask ourselves 
are: How is it already 2020 with 
things having not substantially 
changed for the better? Also, how 
can we implement reform such 
that we do not find ourselves hav-
ing this same discussion with our 
children?
Something has to give. It is time 

to bring those in positions of power 
to the table and demand that they 
affect change. This includes gov-
ernment officials who are elected 
to serve their constituents and the 
people in charge of our criminal 
justice systems. We are tired of 
performative acts that create the 
illusion that people care — it is 
time to take this seriously. Actions 
show us more than any amount of 
characters in a letter or words in 
a prayer. We condemn excessive 
police force targeted at those pro-
testing the slaughter of Black bod-
ies and believe they should be given 
the same privileges to peacefully 
protest as those who protested 
stay-at-home orders. Moreover, the 
deployment of military forces by 
President Donald Trump’s Admin-
istration, which is designed to dis-
rupt those protesting the unequal 
treatment of Black folks in the U.S., 
is just another policy intended to 
set back this crucial movement. 
Additionally, we are disgusted by 

the way the media and our nation’s 
leaders have promoted the nar-
rative that protesters are “thugs” 
who only intend to destroy proper-
ty. Most protests around the nation 
have been non-violent displays 
of solidarity amongst oppressed, 
angry 
and 
empowered 
Black 
Americans and their allies. These 
overt displays of opposition to the 
forward progress of our cause are 
evidence of systemic and institu-
tionalized racism and we will not 
tolerate it. 
To make matters worse, Black 
Americans must deal with the 
trauma of police brutality in the 
midst of a global pandemic. The 
irony of the current state of our 
country and world is not lost on us. 
Although the pandemic and police 
brutality may seem unrelated indi-
vidually, the impact that both have 
had on the lives of Black Americans 
is rooted in the same issue: system-
atic inequity and discrimination. 
At this time, we want to extend our 
deepest condolences to our com-
munity members and families who 
are mourning lost lives and suffer-
ing from increased health compli-
cations and associated costs. We 
encourage everyone to stay updat-
ed on the symptoms of COVID-19 
and how it is spread.
No matter how you choose to 
respond to current events, you 
should feel empowered in what-
ever decision you make. Based on 
a history of student activism, we 
are confident that you all will make 
the best decision for yourselves and 
the larger community. The BSU 
will support you regardless of your 
response to current events. 

A Yelp review of 
America

I’ve heard some rumors about 
this place. Apparently, the owners 
don’t even own the land on which 
this restaurant sits. The service 
here is terrible. The ambiance is 
lackluster. Let me correct myself: 
the atmosphere is hostile. Don’t get 
me started on the food. Their week-
ly special of cultural appropriation 
comes with two sides: fearing peo-
ple of color and the denial of white 
privilege. 
Sometimes, 
if 
we’re 
lucky — and it’s in season — they’ll 
add racial profiling onto the menu 
and a free dessert. Imagine hav-
ing reverse racism a la mode with a 
brownie. Yummy right? This place 
has been here for what feels like 
centuries. Some people dragged my 
ancestors here because they just 
had to try it. I didn’t like the taste. I 
wanted to send it back. First, I tried 
speaking to other patrons. Maybe 
they would see something wrong 
with this restaurant. They said the 
food tasted great! Most of them are 
regulars and thought I was outra-
geous for my negative review. I 
tried speaking to the managers. 
They ignored me. They didn’t both-
er to hear or see me. If I ever decide 
to go to this restaurant again, it’ll 
be a curbside pickup. Oh, and no 
tip. All in all, I’d give it no stars.
There are so many names to say. 
George Floyd, Eric Garner, Michael 
Brown, 
Freddie 
Grey, 
Sandra 
Bland, Tamir Rice, Trayvon Mar-
tin, or Philando Castile to name a 
few. Another year, another month, 
another day and another unarmed 
Black man and woman killed. To 

SOFÍA C. BISHOP
MiC Guest Writer

wake up every day, seeing these 
names, seeing graphic videos of 
their death, is traumatizing. When 
we urge others to say their name, it 
is because they can no longer say it 
for themselves and because some-
one decided that their life had no 
value. Graphic videos, however, 
create an unimaginable amount 
of pain and perpetuate inherent 
trauma. How many more names 
are we going to have to say and 
scream until someone can finally 
see that this place is not safe? How 
many more brothers, husbands, 
fathers, mothers, daughters and 
granddaughters have to die? How 
many of our children across the 
diaspora need to grow up and have 
“the talk.” Not the birds and bees, 
but the “Here’s what you do when 
you interact with the police, are 
profiled or when someone deter-
mines your skin color is a threat.” 
That makes the birds and the 
bees easy in comparison. How do 
you tell your teenage Black son, 
“Don’t wear that hoodie, wear 
bright colors when you go out with 
your friends and don’t move your 
hands off the wheel when you’re 
stopped?” Or your Black daughter, 
“Limit your passion because they 
will perceive you as angry. Remem-
ber to work twice as hard, because 
you will only be given half.” What 
does that say about America?
What does the silence from oth-
ers say? The silence from others 
tells me that they do not value my 
life or the lives of others who look 
like me. 

Read more at michigandaily.com

GRAPHIC BY MAGGIE WIEBE 

PROVIDED BY BLACK STUDENT UNION 
Read more at michigandaily.com

11
MICHIGAN IN COLOR

Thursday, June 4, 2020
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

