{"id":15027,"date":"2021-06-14T03:10:39","date_gmt":"2021-06-14T03:10:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/?p=15027"},"modified":"2021-06-21T18:52:52","modified_gmt":"2021-06-21T18:52:52","slug":"pandemic-racism-the-front-line-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/?p=15027","title":{"rendered":"Pandemic racism: The front-line war"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\">[vc_row][vc_column]\n\t\t\t<!-- START Pandemic Racism Hero REVOLUTION SLIDER 6.6.18 --><p class=\"rs-p-wp-fix\"><\/p>\n\t\t\t<rs-module-wrap id=\"rev_slider_12_1_wrapper\" data-source=\"gallery\" style=\"visibility:hidden;background:transparent;padding:0;margin:0px auto;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;\">\n\t\t\t\t<rs-module id=\"rev_slider_12_1\" style=\"\" data-version=\"6.6.18\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<rs-slides style=\"overflow: hidden; position: absolute;\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<rs-slide style=\"position: absolute;\" data-key=\"rs-12\" data-title=\"Slide\" data-anim=\"ms:1000;r:0;\" data-in=\"o:0;\" data-out=\"a:false;\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"\/\/www.gh360.ca\/wp-content\/plugins\/revslider\/public\/assets\/assets\/dummy.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"Jason Leung \/ Unsplash\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" class=\"rev-slidebg tp-rs-img rs-lazyload\" data-lazyload=\"\/\/www.gh360.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Jason-Leung-Unsplash.jpg\" data-parallax=\"14\" data-no-retina>\n<!--\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t--><rs-layer\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tid=\"slider-12-slide-12-layer-0\" \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-type=\"text\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-color=\"#ffffff\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-rsp_ch=\"on\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-xy=\"x:916px;y:852px;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-text=\"w:normal;s:18;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-frame_999=\"o:0;st:w;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"z-index:13;font-family:'Roboto';\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Photo Credit: Jason Leung\/Unsplash \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/rs-layer><!--\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t--><rs-layer\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tid=\"slider-12-slide-12-layer-1\" \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-type=\"text\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-color=\"#fff\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-rsp_ch=\"on\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-xy=\"x:37px;y:52px;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-text=\"w:normal;s:80;l:80;ls:-1;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-dim=\"w:667px;minh:0px;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-frame_999=\"o:0;st:w;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"z-index:10;font-family:'Permanent Marker';text-transform:uppercase;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Pandemic racism: the frontline war \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/rs-layer><!--\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t--><a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tid=\"slider-12-slide-12-layer-2\" \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"rs-layer\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/?author_name=matthew-chong\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-type=\"text\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-color=\"#fff\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-rsp_ch=\"on\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-xy=\"x:48px;y:775px;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-text=\"w:normal;s:40;l:70;ls:-1;fw:500;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-dim=\"minh:0px;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-frame_999=\"o:0;st:w;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"z-index:11;font-family:'Poppins';text-transform:uppercase;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>By: Matthew Chong \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><!--\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t--><rs-layer\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tid=\"slider-12-slide-12-layer-4\" \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-type=\"text\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-color=\"#fff\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-rsp_ch=\"on\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-xy=\"x:49px;y:815px;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-text=\"w:normal;s:30;l:70;ls:-1;fw:500;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-dim=\"w:559px;minh:0px;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-frame_999=\"o:0;st:w;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"z-index:12;font-family:'Poppins';text-transform:uppercase;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>A special emerge feature report \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/rs-layer><!--\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t--><rs-layer\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tid=\"slider-12-slide-12-layer-5\" \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-type=\"shape\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-rsp_ch=\"on\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-xy=\"x:30px;y:782px;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-text=\"w:normal;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-dim=\"w:535px;h:99px;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-frame_999=\"o:0;st:w;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"z-index:9;background-color:rgba(0,0,0,0.5);\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t> \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/rs-layer><!--\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t--><rs-layer\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tid=\"slider-12-slide-12-layer-6\" \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-type=\"shape\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-rsp_ch=\"on\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-xy=\"x:-143px;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-text=\"w:normal;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-dim=\"w:1542;h:925;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-frame_999=\"o:0;st:w;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"z-index:8;background-color:rgba(0,0,0,0.07);\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t> \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/rs-layer><!--\n-->\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/rs-slide>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/rs-slides>\n\t\t\t\t<\/rs-module>\n\t\t\t\t<script>\n\t\t\t\t\tsetREVStartSize({c: 'rev_slider_12_1',rl:[1240,1024,778,480],el:[900],gw:[1240],gh:[900],type:'standard',justify:'',layout:'fullwidth',mh:\"0\"});if (window.RS_MODULES!==undefined && window.RS_MODULES.modules!==undefined && window.RS_MODULES.modules[\"revslider121\"]!==undefined) {window.RS_MODULES.modules[\"revslider121\"].once = false;window.revapi12 = undefined;if (window.RS_MODULES.checkMinimal!==undefined) window.RS_MODULES.checkMinimal()}\n\t\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\t<\/rs-module-wrap>\n\t\t\t<!-- END REVOLUTION SLIDER -->\n[vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span class=\"wpsdc-drop-cap\">W<\/span>ith a pandemic still affecting thousands of Canadians and calls for social change, the last two years have made it important to have conversations about diversity and inclusion. On the one hand, t<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he origin of the COVID-19 virus and the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes and rhetoric have sent shockwaves of fear in the community with many often too scared to leave their own homes. On the other hand, many young Asian students were required to show up to work and take on extra shifts in order to put food on the dinner table, all while putting themselves at risk not only of the virus but also of being a possible target of racism and discrimination, all to keep Ontario\u2019s economy moving.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After multiple conversations with fellow students from the University of Guelph-Humber in Toronto\u2013known to be one of the most diverse student populations of any post-secondary school in Canada\u2013it\u2019s become clear that a large part of the student body is employed part-time in what is considered to be essential services. In the past year, it has also been clear that even as the campus has been shut down and students have had to learn remotely, students have been under increasing pressure to put themselves at risk in order to support themselves and their families.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row bg_type=&#8221;bg_color&#8221;][vc_column][vc_single_image image=&#8221;15048&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; add_caption=&#8221;yes&#8221; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even though we were not able to find any statistics for the number of young Asian workers who are working on the frontline provincially or nationally, Emerge Magazine found three Asian students to tell their stories and experiences while working on the frontline during the pandemic. We have chosen to protect the identities of the students by using pseudonyms, either because they were not openly comfortable talking about their work experience with racism or fear they might lose their jobs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first student that we have decided to identify as Josephine, 22, works at a home decorating store in Brampton, Ont. She said that she has worked as an associate at the home decorating store since June 2020 when \u201cthe pandemic was already brewing.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During her shifts, she usually helps customers on the phone, takes their orders and mixes paint. During the school year, she worked between 25 and 28 hours per week, but that quickly increased to nearly 40 hours per week in order to support herself and her family.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a first-generation Filipino, Josephine said that her parents didn\u2019t have the same opportunities as other people when they were growing up. She said that she started working part-time at 17 years old and has held two other customer service jobs during her time in university.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During the province-wide stay-at-home order in early 2021, she said that the store transitioned to curbside pickup. Josephine said that the attitudes of customers were rarely a problem at her old jobs, but during the pandemic, she has had to deal with customers \u201cwith such entitlement.\u201d For example, some customers would either yell at her or use offensive language after being told to wear a mask or to wear it properly.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI still feel like contractors don\u2019t take me seriously,\u201d she said. \u201cRegular customers know who the newbies are but I still feel customers look at me funny after asking if they need any help.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most devastating incidents that ultimately catapulted conversations about anti-Asian rhetoric into mainstream media occurred on March 16, 2021, when eight people were killed after a man open-fired on three Atlanta-area spas and massage parlours. Six of the victims were Asian women.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row bg_type=&#8221;bg_color&#8221;][vc_column][vc_single_image image=&#8221;15038&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; add_caption=&#8221;yes&#8221; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to CNN, the shootings prompted increased security and police patrols in predominantly Asian communities across<\/span><span>\u00a0the United States. The suspect, Robert Aaron Long, 21, of Woodstock, Ga. reportedly told investigators that \u201che had <\/span><span>a sex addiction and that he saw the spas as \u2018a temptation &#8230; that he wanted to eliminate\u2019,\u201d according to CNN.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following the mass shooting in Atlanta, protests and demonstrations took place in major cities across Canada and the United States to denounce anti-Asian racism.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here at home, hate crimes towards the Asian community saw between a six to seven hundred per cent spike in 2020, a significant increase compared to the previous year, according to CTV News. <\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;Anti-Asian hate crimes increased 717 per cent from 2019 to 2020, according to a report by the Vancouver Police Department.&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h2|font_size:50|text_align:left|color:%230a0a0a&#8221; google_fonts=&#8221;font_family:Permanent%20Marker%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal&#8221; css_animation=&#8221;fadeIn&#8221;][vc_column_text]\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The latest example was when an Asian woman and her friend from Coquitlam, B.C. were verbally harassed by a stranger. According to Global News, it all started when the stranger allegedly asked the pair to take a photo of her using her phone, but they declined citing the pandemic. That\u2019s when the stranger went on a racist tirade and told the Asian woman and her friend to<\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;go back to China&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h2|font_size:50|text_align:left|color:%230a0a0a&#8221; google_fonts=&#8221;font_family:Permanent%20Marker%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal&#8221; css_animation=&#8221;fadeIn&#8221;][vc_column_text]<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and said that COVID-19 came from their country, referring to China.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row bg_type=&#8221;bg_color&#8221;][vc_column][vc_single_image image=&#8221;15034&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; add_caption=&#8221;yes&#8221; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Toronto had the second-highest number of cases involving anti-Asian hate crimes in 2020, according to CTV News. The most recent incidents occurred on April 9 and April 11 at various subway stations. According to Global News, a man believed to be in his 20s or 30s targeted three Asian women at Christie, Lansdowne and Wellesley Stations. The suspect reportedly spat on them and yelled racial slurs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two more University of Guelph-Humber students agreed to tell their stories and experiences of working a frontline job <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on the condition that we used pseudonyms in order to protect their identities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cBeing half Asian and working during a pandemic has been tough,\u201d said a student that we have decided to identify as Miranda. She works as a cashier at a major retail chain in the Simcoe County Region- just north of Vaughan, Ont. At the height of the pandemic, Miranda noticed that every day kept getting more unpleasant and uncomfortable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI started to notice the side glances and them [customers] staring at me trying to figure out what background I am,\u201d she said. \u201cI have even had someone come up and ask me what my background was, which made me nervous because it was out of nowhere and rude.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the pandemic got worse in the past year, Miranda said that the actions that some customers took made her feel <\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;&#8220;awful and dirty&#8220;&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h2|font_size:50|text_align:left|color:%230a0a0a&#8221; google_fonts=&#8221;font_family:Permanent%20Marker%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal&#8221; css_animation=&#8221;fadeIn&#8221;][vc_column_text]<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">including times when people avoided her lines or asked her not to touch their things.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=&#8221;&#8220;It\u2019s honestly hurtful to be treated differently because of your background&#8220;&#8221; font_container=&#8221;tag:h2|font_size:50|text_align:left|color:%230a0a0a&#8221; google_fonts=&#8221;font_family:Permanent%20Marker%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal&#8221; css_animation=&#8221;fadeIn&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cI don\u2019t know how anyone can think that it\u2019s okay to act that way to someone especially to someone who is serving them and trying to make a living during a pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Students who work at the frontlines of health care have also been through a lot the past year and have had to experience unacceptable behaviour from some patients. Fourth-year student Janet, 21, has a part-time job screening patients at a vaccination clinic at Michael Garron Hospital in East York, Ont.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row bg_type=&#8221;bg_color&#8221;][vc_column][vc_single_image image=&#8221;15045&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; add_caption=&#8221;yes&#8221; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She said that she is usually the first person the public will see before entering the vaccination clinic. As a screener, she asks patients various questions including if they have any symptoms of COVID-19, if they have been in contact with anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 14 days, if they have tested positive themselves for COVID-19, if they had an allergic reaction when they got their first dose and answering any questions patients may have about their vaccine.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although Janet is a part-time student worker, her frontline job also means that she is the person responsible for dealing with a lot of complaints.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cPatients will go to great lengths just to call us out for not letting them enter the hospital, get a COVID test or even receive a vaccine,\u201d she said. Just like Josephine\u2019s experiences of working in customer service during the pandemic, Janet said that \u201cthere will always be patients who will comply with protocols and others who will feel more entitled.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Janet said that her job has made her grow a thick skin\u2013but acknowledges that patient behaviour is a source of pain to young frontline workers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt hurts sometimes because people do not realize how much of a toll it takes on my mental health.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cFrom being called different names to saying I\u2019m not doing my job correctly because I need to follow strict guidelines, it really leaves an impression on me,\u201d she said. \u201cI think tensions are so high, to the point where people will go out of their way to release their anger out on someone.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI am not even surprised anymore by these responses because there is no way to escape hate,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] With a pandemic still affecting thousands of Canadians and calls for social change, the last two years have made it important to have conversations about diversity and inclusion. On the one hand, the origin of the COVID-19 virus and the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes and rhetoric have sent shockwaves of fear in the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88,"featured_media":15032,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[51,174,141,53],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15027"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/88"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15027"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18363,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15027\/revisions\/18363"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}