Taiwanese-American Jeremy Lin on Wednesday spoke out against a rise in targeted attacks against Asian Americans in the wake of shootings at three Atlanta, Georgia-area massage parlors that left eight people dead, the majority of whom were women of Asian descent, leading to fears the killer had a racial motive.
Lin, who plays for the Golden State Warriors’ G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, was speaking in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Wednesday night.
The 32-year-old point guard made headlines last month after revealing that he was called “coronavirus” on the court without saying when or where it happened.
Photo: AFP
The first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA, Lin said the violence in Georgia was the natural progression of an escalating trend he has observed over the past year.
“It feels very different,” Lin said. “Growing up it was always something that might be a little bit more subtle or verbal, but I think what we’re seeing right now is a lot of physical, actual violence, lives being taken, a lot of Asian Americans who are looking over their shoulders when they go outside, when they go to the grocery store, and we’re starting to slowly see more and more reporting of what is going on, but this is something that is definitely hitting different.”
“It feels like it’s happening more and it feels like it’s getting worse,” he added. “Even for me, I’m starting to question: ‘If I speak out more, am I encouraging more people to have even more hate?’ By other people seeing these headlines, are we encouraging more people to do more crazy things and to hurt more Asian Americans? It’s just a very fearful thought process.”
Lin also cited the inflammatory rhetoric of former US president Donald Trump, whose use of racist terms in reference to COVID-19 has been credited with stoking anger and violence against the Asian-American community.
“The previous administration and the rhetoric that was being used,” Lin said. “You can even hear in the audio recordings, the cheers, the laughs, when it was called the ‘Kung Flu Virus’ and everybody was cheering. I think there’s just a lot of racially charged hatred right now that we’re seeing and feeling.”
“Asians have always been projected as being others or outsiders. We’re starting to see a lot of those microaggressions turn into actual acts of violence and it is really hard to watch,” he said. “So I encourage people to watch these videos to see this is actually happening. These are real stories, real lives.”
“We can’t stop speaking out, we can’t stop fighting and we can’t lose hope. If we lose hope, that’s the end of it,” he added.
Lin’s remarks came three weeks after he spoke publicly about an act of racism he experienced while playing with the Warriors’ team in the NBA’s developmental G League at its bubble venue in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
The G League launched an investigation after Lin said he was called “coronavirus” on the court, prompting the veteran to speak up about the incident in a heartfelt Facebook post.
“Being an Asian American doesn’t mean we don’t experience poverty and racism. Being a nine-year NBA veteran doesn’t protect me from being called ‘coronavirus’ on the court,” Lin wrote. “Being a man of faith doesn’t mean I don’t fight for justice, for myself and for others. So here we are again, sharing how we feel. Is anyone listening?”
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