An Asian couple, Junie and Minh, was recently targeted for their race in Milpitas, California. In a Safeway parking lot, a man had pulled up in what seemed to be an SUV and shouted racial slurs such as “He's a f***ing Asian. What are you doing in this country?” and “We have enough people.” Minh decided to record the situation and defend themselves from the derogatory words from the man in the car during the encounter.
In addition to Minh posting this video to raise awareness about the anti-Asian racism that has been rising since the start of Covid-19, Richard Tran, the mayor of Milpitas, reposted the video on his Facebook to bring attention to this incident. He also communicated with the police to find this man, telling ABC that “By sharing the video it is to expose someone or to bring accountability. We're not looking to end their careers or livelihoods but we're actually looking to make teaching moments.” Although generally taught to lay low and be silent about their struggles—especially in social conflicts like these—Asians can stand up for themselves and speak up as well. Incidents like this happen everywhere and all the time, but they too often go unreported and normalized. Racist, xenophobic ones must be held accountable for the racism that now appears everyday and it is so important to fight for equality and to know about these occurrences to learn from and protect one another.