New York, NY (March 4, 2022) — Committee of 100, a non-profit organization of prominent Chinese Americans, today launched a new language glossary aimed at enabling lawmakers, public officials, and the general public to explain and combat anti-Asian tropes, language, and hate speech.
According to the most recent data reports from Stop AAPI Hate, a coalition that tracks reported incidents of hate, violence, and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in the United States, 10,370 hate incidents against the AAPI community were reported between March 19, 2020 and September 30, 2021.*
Xenophobia in the U.S. towards Chinese Americans and the larger AAPI population often manifests across a myriad of words, phrases, and tropes. The COVID-19 crisis and irresponsible rhetoric by political leaders have fueled a surge of discrimination and hate targeting Asian Americans – but the idea of framing “outsiders” as threatening is not new. Even well-meaning individuals with strong political or policy backgrounds can miss what seems obvious to someone more learned in these discussions.
To help combat this issue, Committee of 100 crafted a glossary “Stopping Anti-Asian Hate Starts With Understanding It” as a guide for identifying terms, phrases, and imagery often associated with the Asian community. The glossary can serve as an accessible reference with examples to illustrate the types of language to combat.
“For nearly two centuries, Chinese Americans have been perceived as the perpetual foreigner – strangers in our own homeland,” said Zhengyu Huang, President of Committee of 100. “Pushing back against systemic bias is a real, ongoing battle for Chinese Americans, but a lot of Americans may not understand why certain terms are hurtful and dangerous. Understanding the nuances and significance of language can help make it easier to work together to recognize and end xenophobia and racism.”
The glossary is intended to provide a guide for how to spot and eliminate racist language and imagery and will be updated continuously as additional items are identified. The glossary provides examples that demonstrate where and how problematic terms and tropes originated so users can apply the same criteria to the language they may encounter every day.
Committee of 100 recently held a virtual event to discuss the launch of the glossary and the current challenges Asian Americans face when it comes to xenophobia and hate. Moderated by Committee of 100 Member and Stanford Professor Gordon Chang, the esteemed panel included Professor Karen Umemoto from UCLA, Dr. Saba Soomekh from American Jewish Committee, and Samantha Owens from Over Zero. A replay of the event is available here.
The Anti-Hate glossary is available on Committee of 100’s website here: https://www.committee100.org/initiatives/anti-hate-glossary/
About Committee of 100
Committee of 100 is a non-profit U.S. leadership organization of prominent Chinese Americans in business, government, academia, healthcare, and the arts focused on public policy engagement, civic engagement, and philanthropy. For over 30 years, Committee of 100 has served as the preeminent organization committed to the dual missions of promoting the full participation of Chinese Americans in all aspects of American life and constructive relations between the United States and Greater China. Visit https://www.committee100.org/ or follow Committee of 100 on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more information.
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*https://stopaapihate.org/national-report-through-september-2021/
Committee of 100 contacts:
Charles Zinkowski
Director of Communications & Events
czinkowski@committee100.org
Elizabeth Kerr
Director of Public Policy
ekerr@committee100.org
