Republicans need to put an end to their anti-Asian rhetoric

It’s never easy for me when Trump comes to Texas. He’s threatened our lives, our communities, and our democracy. But his contempt for the Asian American community really pisses me off. 

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. We are Texas’ fastest-growing population, and Texas has the third largest Asian population in the country. With our quickly growing community, we would traditionally use this month to celebrate the historic contributions of Asian Americans. 

But because of Trump and the Republican Party’s disgusting and hateful rhetoric and the resulting rise of anti-Asian hate crimes and violence, we have to use this month to speak up and call out their racist bullshit. 

Unfortunately, the Asian American community isn’t the only group whose lives have been threatened by Republicans’ racist, conspiratorial, and violent rhetoric. This weekend was a somber reminder that communities of color are all at risk when white supremacist ideologies are allowed to run rampant. 

I’ve watched Trump instigate hatred toward Asian Americans since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. He baselessly blamed our community for the spread of COVID-19. Our community leaders begged him and other Republicans to put an end to this type of dangerous rhetoric, but they instead choose to continue to incite animosity and violence for political gain.

Democrats have stood up for Asian Americans time and again when Republican “leaders” were using our community as a punch line. When we attempted to pass a simple non-binding resolution supporting the AAPI community last legislative session, Republicans in the Texas Senate killed it, saying, “this just isn’t important to us.”

These actions and words have real consequences: hate crimes against Asian Americans rose by over 300% last year. It’s clear that supporting Democrats is not just a fight over ideas -- it is a fight for our lives. I’m proud of my community. I’m proud of our contributions, our resilience and our strength in the face of adversity.

This month, we must remember that the fight against hatred and bigotry in our country continues for every generation. Support people and organizations that acknowledge that our great nation was built with the blood and sacrifice of immigrants from around the world. Help Democrats to push back against hate at every level of our society and government.