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In a brave act of defiance, man destroys racist, anti-Chinese sign posted in his neighborhood

via TikTok

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a disturbing rise in anti-Chinese sentiment in Australia where people of Chinese heritage account for 5% of the country's 25 million residents.

A poll found that one in five Chinese Australians have been physically threatened or attacked over the past year. The problem has become so bad that the Chinese government had to issue a travel advisory for students going to Australia, warning them to take precautions.

Australians aren't denying the issue, either.

A study published by The Guardian found that 44% of Australians say they have "very negative" or "somewhat negative" feelings towards Chinese Australians – a nearly three-fold increase from 13% in 2013. They claim their negative feelings stem from the pandemic, the political rhetoric of Donald Trump, and a media atmosphere that encourages "creeping distrust" of Australians of Chinese heritage. Relationships between both countries were also strained when Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an inquiry into the origins of the virus.

While it was originally believed that it emerged from wet markets in Wuhan, there is reason to believe it may have escaped from a virology lab in the area.

"For quite some time, there has been continuous discrimination in Australia against people of Asian origins, including overseas Chinese, which poses serious threats to the safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens in Australia," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.

One brave Australian of Chinese descent made a dramatic display of defiance against the rising tide of racism in the country by destroying a racist sign posed in a Melbourne suburb. The sign read "Made in China - Covid-19," a reference to the virus's emergence from that part of the world in late 2019.

The video was shared with a caption that read: "Say no to racism."

"A friend told me someone posted a sign insulting Chinese people — saying coronavirus is from China," the man told the camera.

"We have to remove it," he said. The man then sliced it up with an electric saw and pounded it off the post with a hammer. He then took the saw and cut the sign into even smaller pieces.

The video received widespread praise when it first appeared on TikTok.

"Can't believe this is happening in 2021. Hope the cowards responsible for this are held accountable," one commenter said.

"No matter where [the virus] is from, it shouldn't lead to racism - that's never forgivable," another wrote.

Racial prejudice in any form is completely unacceptable. But it's bewildering that people would lash out against a group of people just because a virus emerged from the country of their heritage. An Australian of Chinese decent living in Melbourne has as much to do with the spread of the virus as a person of any other ethnic background.

The situation in Australia goes to show that when things get tough, there are always those who will look for a scapegoat. The man with the saw and hammer deserves a lot of love for taking an aggressive stand against racism. Hopefully, his act of defiance inspires others to do the same.

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This immigrant wanted Americans to talk openly about politics. So he made a space for it.

Busboys and Poets serves up delicious food with a side of activism.

When Busboys and Poets first opened in Washington, D.C., in 2005, restaurant-goers had no idea how much the establishment would shape the city.

All photos courtesy of Busboys and Poets unless noted otherwise.

Home to a bookstore filled with literature from writers of color alongside Middle Eastern and soul food, this restaurant-bookstore-spoken-word-activist-safe space-cafe hybrid is anything but ordinary. And for D.C. residents, it totally works.

"I think food and eating and breaking bread ... is a sacred human experience at some level," says restaurant owner Anas "Andy" Shallal. "You know, people just want to put something into their body. There's some spirituality in that. I think many cultures in the world see food as something more than just nutrients for the body. And I think that's the case in D.C. too."

A beacon of activism and politics, Busboys and Poets has hosted numerous readings, events, and speaking engagements.

The events have been hosted by powerhouse figures like Angela Davis, Common, Danny Glover, Ellen Page, and one of Shallal's personal favorite guests, Barack Obama.

"When [Obama] came, it was pretty much that moment that I think took my and most people's breath away, which was really kind of weird because I'm not that easily starstruck," Shallal says. "But someone like him with all his spirit coming into the space? The place went crazy. I mean, people gave him a standing ovation that lasted I don't even know how long, but there was a sense of awe, that sense of reverence to him, which was really quite amazing."

The inception of Busboys and Poets began when Shallal was living and working in D.C. The Iraqi-American restaurant owner immigrated to the U.S. with his family in the 1960s. Ever a connoisseur of the arts and activism, Shallal felt at home in Washington, D.C., the center of the U.S. federal government and the site of numerous movement beginnings and political marches.

While Shallal found comfort in the nation's capital, he was still unsatisfied with how little politics were discussed outside of activist circles.

"I'm an activist," he says. "I've always been an activist, and [I] always wanted to find a space that I would feel comfortable going to."

Having come from a culture that embraced political discussions instead of deflecting from them, Shallal found America's ambivalence to political conversations disheartening.The restaurant owner grew increasingly frustrated with Americans' inability to talk about real issues in social settings.

"I remember when I first voted ... I saw a person in front of me and said, 'So, who are you going to vote for?'" he says. "And it was like I just asked her the most personal intimate question! She gave me that look — 'How dare you?' Like, 'that's not what we do in America.' And I thought, 'That's odd. Shouldn't you be public about who you voted for?'"

Shallal continued to face similar interactions whenever he'd try to discuss voting, politics, or other politically charged topics. An early public opponent of the Iraq War, Shallal was not one to shy away from the world's most pressing issues.

So, how does an ambitious guy who's spent his adult life reading the works of people like Zora Neale Hurston and Malcolm X get Americans to feel more comfortable talking about war, community policing, and women's rights?

Through food, of course.

"I think the food is the trick," Shallal says. "That's how you catch fish. I think once people are sitting together, they realize that they need to be able to have a conversation, and it's not a bad thing and it doesn't hurt. Somebody's not going to bite you. And there's a sense of, 'OK, this can happen, this is possible.' And I think that's the beauty of it."

However, it's not just the incredibly diverse meal offerings that makes Busboys and Poets such an atmospheric place.

Dishes like shrimp and chicken chorizo pasta and baba ganoush are amazing, but it's the paintings featuring black American heroes, political figures, scholars, and artists that set this place apart.

In each of the restaurant's six locations, patrons will find paintings of people like Langston Hughes (the original busboy and poet), Zora Neale Hurston, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Barack Obama.

In contrast to the bland stock photos lining the walls of many restaurants, Busboys and Poets explicitly aims to normalize images of black people by showcasing them in an artistic and humanizing light.

"We have to normalize this imagery," Shallal says. "We have to think of this in terms of 'America' as opposed to 'black America' because I think we oftentimes think 'white America' is 'America.' In order for us to change that, you have to change the imagery and change the perception of what America is. You have to accept black culture in American culture just like white culture was accepted."

Shallal's dedication to black and immigrant art has been a pervasive component in his career pursuits.

This is evidenced in his public artwork, a mayoral campaign, and other public good initiatives around the city.

His ideology hasn't gone unnoticed by community members. In fact, it's made him famous in activist circles around the nation. "I think being a non-white person helps me understand the whole idea of justice and injustice a little differently," Shallal says.

[rebelmouse-image 19346376 dam="1" original_size="735x491" caption="Photo by Alison Harbaugh/Flickr." expand=1]Photo by Alison Harbaugh/Flickr.

In stark contrast to many restaurant owners, Shallal places race and politics at the forefront of his restaurant's mission rather than making it a topic to avoid at all costs. This is, in large part, due his knowledge of the history of segregation in U.S. restaurants and its persistence in subtle, but problematic, ways.

"Having grown up in this country, I've seen the segregation that happens in restaurants — at one point, legal segregation; and later, of course, is self-segregation," Shallal says. "I've always thought that's not a healthy way for society to grow and find common ground."

Shallal's understanding of restaurants' segregationist past is accurate.  

Historically, restaurants have been some of the most segregated places in the nation. In the civil rights era, black Americans were often refused service when they were not being attacked or facing brutal treatment by the police. In the present day, some restaurant owners still do everything they can to keep black patrons from frequenting their restaurants, including ignoring them, calling the police on them, kicking them out, and just making them uncomfortable.

Shallal counters this pervasive narrative by recognizing the importance of not being colorblind to patrons, and he makes sure his staff knows it too, saying, "There are very subtle messages [in the food industry], and if you were just being colorblind, you're going to create tough situations."

The commitment to bridging the gaps between culture, food, and history has made Busboys and Poets even more significant in today's political volatility.

Since the restaurant first opened, five more locations have opened in the area. Shallal also opened another soul food restaurant called Eatonville, and he's made public calls for greener institutions.

All Busboys and Poets locations still host well-known speakers and also host open-mic nights for high school and college students.

Shallal, ever the activist, is increasingly aware of just how important the space is in such turbulent times. True to his nature, he welcomes hard conversations and hopes they help to move society forward in a positive way.

"I think [the current state of affairs is] really unfortunate, and I think it's really putting a lot of stress on families and on relationships," he notes. "It's just stupid and makes me really upset. But we're still [Busboys and Poets], and people know where we stand and that's not going to change."

With six locations, a seventh in the works, and ambitious plans to continue growing, Shallal has a lot on his hands. But social justice and helping to move progress forward comes first.

To do that, he says, you just have to act: "I always firmly believed that I want to go at the heart of social justice and create a space that speaks to that issue — this is where I need to begin."

From what I can tell, Shallal is just getting started.

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Spurs coach Popovich mounts a simple, strong defense of Black History Month.

You can always count on Pop to say what he's thinking.

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has a bit of a reputation for speaking his mind.

Back in May 2017, Popovich denounced the self-centered "game show" atmosphere brought on by Donald Trump's presidency.

In September, he went on a bit of a press conference rant about Trump's "childishness" and "gratuitous fear-mongering," eventually launching into a pretty epic speech about why it's important for him to use his platform to speak out on important issues like racism, even if they don't affect him personally. (He's white.)

The Spurs' Dejounte Murray talks to head coach Gregg Popovich during a 2017 game. Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images.

With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that when Popovich was asked about the NBA's Black History Month celebrations, his answer would be worth a listen — even if it's a bit hard for white people to hear.

Asked by reporters why he felt it was important for the NBA to honor and promote Black History Month, he basically said that it's a no-brainer:

"I think it's pretty obvious. The league is made up of a lot of black guys. To honor [Black History Month] and understand it is pretty simplistic. How would you ignore that? But more importantly, we live in a racist country that hasn't figured it out yet. And it's always important to bring attention to it, even if it angers some people. The point is that you have to keep it in front of everybody's nose so that they understand it, that it still hasn't been taken care of, and we have a lot of work to do."

It's easy to pretend that racism is a thing of the past, but that's simply not true.

It's pretty easy to get defensive when Popovich and many others say things like, "We live in a racist country that hasn't figured it out yet." After all, nobody wants to be called racist, and nobody wants to think that they play a role in perpetuating discrimination.

Considering what some on social media are saying in response to Popovich's latest comments, that defensive instinct comes through loud and clear.

"If this country is Racist [sic] then why are we celebrating Black History Month?" asked one Twitter user. "Pop is an idiot...why doesn't he resign and give his job to a black coach if he feels he's part of the problem?" tweeted another. "What are we celebrating? Why do we single out a month for blacks? Can we have white history month?" asked a third.

"We live in a racist country that hasn't figured it out yet."

It's indisputable that racism against black individuals and other people of color is real. There is ample data confirming the inequality and negative treatment aimed at black Americans.

For example, an October 2017 survey found that on average, prosecutors offered white defendants more lenient plea deals than their black counterparts. Experiments in so-called blind auditions and job applications, as well as a look at how doctors treat people of color compared to white people, demonstrate the existence of unconscious bias.

Popovich and the Spurs attend the White House to celebrate their 2014 NBA championship. Photo by Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images.

We are a racist country with a racist history. No, that doesn't necessarily make you a racist. It just means we have a lot of work left to do.

Just as Popovich said, if we really want to live in a more just world, we've got to keep this issue at the forefront of our minds.

Black History Month is a great opportunity to think about the many ways black Americans have shaped our country for the better in the face of crushing oppression. It's in acknowledging both the good and the bad that we can help build a a country that lives up to the lofty ideals lauded by many self-proclaimed "patriots."

Patriotism isn't about ignoring a country's faults, but about living each day to address them.

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7 ways to be a better ally in 2018.

Hey there, fellow white person.

Our demographic does not have a great track record these days.

I used to defend the white racists who wrote the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution by saying, “Well, they didn’t live the words they wrote, but they built a government that made us better than they were.”

But that was obviously false, because here we are, 240 years later, and we've elected a white nationalist demagogue, pretty much for the sole reason that he’s a white nationalist demagogue.

We really blew it, and we won’t even be the ones to suffer the consequences.

Remember how, after the election, lots of white people started making themselves feel better by wearing safety pins? That's called performative allyship, and it's basically nonsense, but lots of white "allies" have been making it their bread and butter ever since.

But not you and me. We’re going to do things that will actually help the people we (as a racial cohort, anyway) have harmed. And we're not going to congratulate ourselves on it or look for praise for being a "good" white person.

We’re just going to do these things because they’re the right things to do if you believe in fairness and equality and all those other tenets the white racist founding fathers wrote about but didn’t act on.

Here are some really easy ways we can take concrete action that will bear results:

1. Be intolerant of intolerance.

Make it clear that racism, discrimination, and intolerance are values that we as a society will no longer value. That means confronting other white people. You have to stand up against friends, relatives, and even strangers when you hear them saying racist or discriminatory things.

It’s actually not that hard! You say, “What the hell is wrong with you?” and you walk away. If it happens often enough, eventually, they'll change . Of course, if  you witness an in-person attack or a person's safety is in question, direct intervention is necessary. Read up on how to diffuse these situations, and practice doing it with your friends.

2. Seek out marginalized voices and perspectives.

Here’s a question: How many black people do you follow on Twitter? How many black authors do you read?

If you’re like many white people, the answer is not very many. I know I didn’t for a long time — I had to make a conscious effort to change that.

U.S. culture segregates by race, sometimes intentionally, but often as an unexpected consequence of our social habits. Social media makes this worse . We’ve all heard of the echo chamber effect at this point, where we only ever hear from people who agree with us and never have our views challenged.

The best way to break free of that is to proactively seek out voices you aren’t hearing from, especially from people who belong to marginalized communities.

3. Confront your racism and don’t be fragile about it.

If you start paying attention to more marginalized voices, you're going to encounter some opinions that will upset you. Some might make you feel discriminated against. Some that might even make you feel like you're the victim.

Don’t stop listening. Lean into your discomfort. Force yourself to consider other opinions, and understand why people might say something you find offensive.

You’ll learn a lot of terms you might not have encountered before — like, for instance, white fragility. This is a reference to the tendency among white people to get defensive when they get called out, instead of listening and examining what about their behavior might be problematic.

So don’t be fragile. Your feelings might be hurt, sure. But resist the urge to shut down. Only by listening can we learn to do better.

4. Use your privilege to support marginalized movements.

Your whiteness affords you privileges that can be a powerful asset for activists of color and from other marginalized groups. Police and politicians tend to take a movement far more seriously when there are white people participating. Consider the difference in the way last year's largely white Women's March were treated in comparison to black protesters in Ferguson, Missouri.

That said, you have to resist the urge to appoint yourself a leader. It’s not your place. Your job is to follow the leaders of the movement and do what you can to support them, even if you think you might know a better strategy.

Be prepared for the moment at a protest when a reporter with a camera will seek you out to be the spokesperson for the movement.

When that happens, here’s what you say: “I’m just here to support the movement because I believe in it. You should speak with the leadership; I think they’re over there.” Then point in the direction where the reporter can find group leadership.

Resist the urge to make further statements, because then it will be your face on the news that night, and not the people that the movement's actually meant to benefit.

5. Give your time and money.

There are a ton of organizations that do good work protecting marginalized groups in the courts, through lobbying, public advocacy, education, and community organizing. Cash donations are always welcomed, but if you'd prefer to donate your time instead, volunteering is usually an option.

Among those I would personally endorse: The Southern Poverty Law Center, Council on American-Islamic Relations, the American Civil Liberties Union, International Rescue Committee, Planned Parenthood, and the National Disability Rights Network. All of these organizations are effective and deserve your money.

If you can’t volunteer for a large organization like one of these, you can find a food bank or other organization in your community that helps serve vulnerable populations.

6. Be proactive about inclusion in your daily life.

If you are in any position of authority — be it at work or for an organization or club — you have an opportunity to be more inclusive of people from other backgrounds and communities. Take proactive measures to invite people of color, immigrants, disabled folks, and other marginalized people into your space.

If you’re recruiting at work, don’t put your ads on the usual web sites and expect that to be enough. Seek out places where you can recruit people underrepresented in your workplace. Predominantly Black colleges and Black business associations can help you recruit. LGBTQ community centers have job posting boards, and your town or city may have organizations that exist specifically to connect immigrants, refugees, and minorities — racial and otherwise — with the community.

7. Avoid segregation.

American culture tends in many ways to self-segregate. White spaces tend to be very white — but that doesn’t mean you can’t do something to change that.

If you’re willing to put a lot of effort into it, you can move, especially if you're planning to have kids. Growing up in a diverse community surrounded by people from different backgrounds tends to make people more accepting and open-minded, whereas growing up in homogeneous spaces (like most suburbs) can make people fearful and insular.

You can also find easier and cheaper ways to diversify your family's surroundings. In many cases it’s as simple as going into the city nearest to you, and particularly neighborhoods that are not associated specifically with White tourism.

In New York City, which is famously diverse (but also strikingly segregated in many neighborhoods), you can eschew the Met or the Natural History Museum in favor of the New Museum or El Museo de Bario.

Most houses of worship are very welcoming to people who don’t share their faith, especially parents seeking to expand their children’s horizons. Find a local mosque or synagogue and participate respectfully. Join a community group in a community different from yours. Find ways to be around people who don't share your background and privilege.

Most of all, take the time to actually do the work.

Have the uncomfortable conversations. Confront the racists in your life. Diversify the perspectives that you hear and read. Remember your place in the movement and show up.

All of these things go a long way to help include, support, and make life fairer for communities of color and all marginalized groups who have been harmed by our society.

Do the work and leave the empty performances for your community theater.

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