Asian Student Silenced for Saying we Should Judge by Character, not Race

Fighting racism with racism is becoming a trend. Last Wednesday during a rally at a private college in California, an Asian student stepped forward to talk about the ways in which she has been discriminated against in the US. Her point was that we should judge people by their character, not their race. 

She told this story to fellow students: as she was walking across the street with a group of friends, a black man in a truck shouted at her to “go back to your home.” A white woman who saw the incident pulled over and asked if the Asian girl and her friends needed any help; if she should call the police. 

“The point I’m making here is we should not distinguish people by their race or gender or anything. Black people can be racist,” said the Asian student. As soon as the words left her mouth, a black student stepped into the circle and tried to take her megaphone away. 

The black student’s actions lend credence to the Asian student’s point that it is not certain races that are racist, but certain people.

This incident comes as racial violence escalates in colleges and universities throughout the US. Last Thursday, students at New Hampshire’s Dartmouth College were assaulted by a large group of Black Lives Matter protestors when they stormed into a campus library. And earlier this month racial protests forced the resignation of University of Missouri President Timothy Wolfe. On Wednesday night, MU protestors segregated students, forming a “black only” space. 

If only there were more people like the Asian student (who chose to remain anonymous), people who are able to look past color and judge a person for what’s on the inside.