After a successful first outing looking at the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus pandemic on communities of people who are black, the “COVID at the Margins” series returns at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, May 18, with a look at a community experiencing overt racism due to the virus: people who are Asian and Asian-American.
The moment the teachers said they wanted to take pictures of the Americans, I got nervous. There was a Korean-language contest that we weren’t part of, but they wanted our pictures—or rather, I thought, my white housemates’ pictures. This type of near unabashed racial selection isn’t uncommon in Asia, and for universities, I knew that looking international and showcasing their diversity was good for their reputations. The only problem was that in Korea my Chinese face didn’t look diverse. My roommate, Emily, assured me she wouldn’t let them leave me out.