Black and Asian Solidarity in American History: The Power of Unity Exemplified by 5 Major Events

2020 was a major year in the fight for racial justice. Following former President Donald Trump’s scapegoating of China and Asian individuals for the COVID-19 pandemic, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/02/12/asian-hate-incidents-covid-19-lunar-new-year/4447037001/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">hate incidents against Asian Americans increased considerably</a>. At the same time, there were several unjust murders of African Americans by law enforcement, one of which included an <a href="https://time.com/5859206/anti-asian-racism-america/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Asian American police officer at the scene of the killing</a>. Most recently, there have been attacks against elderly Asians in California, New York, and Illinois. As Asian Americans have called for the perpetrators to be held accountable — some of whom are from communities that are already heavily policed, individuals have become concerned that tensions may rise between the Asian and Black communities, whom for decades have been wedged apart by the <a href="https://time.com/5859206/anti-asian-racism-america/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">model minority myth</a>. The model minority myth originates in White supremacists’ attempts to <a href="https://time.com/5851792/asian-americans-black-solidarity-history/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">quell the Black Power Movement and other racial justice movements of the 1960s and ’70s</a>. By creating a wedge between communities of color, White supremacists have been able to maintain their power in society. <a href="https://medium.com/advancing-justice-aajc/black-and-asian-solidarity-in-american-history-the-power-of-unity-exemplified-by-5-major-events-391025bbf228">Click Here</a>