The Root of Discrimination Against Asian-Americans in the U.S. and Its Remedy

Racial discrimination against Asian-Americans has been a long-standing problem in the United States, fueled further by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. According to the New York City Police Department, in 2021, there was a 368% spike in hate crimes against Asians in September alone, compared with the same period the previous year. Biased comments by some Western politicians have also stoked the anti-Asian sentiment in American society. Mae Ngai looks at the historical roots of the discrimination against Asian-Americans in the U.S., whether the community, including Chinese-Americans, has achieved equality in the U.S. after more than a century of immigration, and the possible remedies.