Alarmed, but Not Surprised: Debunking the Shock of Anti-Asian Racism
Alarmed, but Not Surprised: Debunking the Shock of Anti-Asian Racism Brenda Huang / Senior staff illustration features April 1, 2021, 12:48 AM
Andersen Gu, a Columbia College sophomore, knows what it means to navigate New York as a Chinese American. Growing up in a predominantly Chinese-immigrant community in Queens, surrounded by people who looked like him, Gu found comfort in the community in the city; hearing people around him speak different languages made him accustomed to diversity and attending Chinese school connected him to his origins and community.
That changed when Gu and his family moved to Long Island. Unlike the ethnic enclaves of Queens, his new community introduced him to an outsider experience, where parents at his high school campaigned to limit classes for English language learners in response to an influx of Asian immigrants moving to the district. But in the past year, as violence a