As unbelievable as it may seem, a yellow whistle has become an important symbol in the fight against anti-Asian hate, which began to surge two years ago amid conspiracy theories about the origins of #Covid19 and the spread of anti-Asian propaganda worldwide.
For centuries, since Asians first arrived in the United States, the color yellow has been used against them. It was weaponised as a derogatory slur and exploited to vilify Asian Americans, most notably through the notion of the “Yellow Peril.” In recent decades, however, Asian Americans have sought to reclaim the term “yellow” and turn it on its head through the political practice of reappropriation, challenging and dismantling hate speech in the process.
As part of this effort, an imaginative campaign called “The Yellow Whistle” was launched as a self-protection programme by Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar Tang, together with four others, in 2021, in response to the anti-Asian hate and violence fueled by the pandemic.
How it works: The whistle is designed to wrap around the wrist for easy access, giving people - particularly older adults - a simple way to sound a loud alarm and call for help when faced with an attack or racist and ethnically motivated harassment. The words “We Belong” are engraved on the whistle, serving as a slogan and symbol that confronts the “historical tyranny” experienced by their ancestors on American soil. Through this reappropriation, the campaign seeks to turn a symbol historically used to stigmatise Asians into one of empowerment and resistance.
More than 350,000 free whistles had been distributed at hundreds of locations by September 2021, including some of the 520 Kampgrounds of America (KOA) locations across North America. Non-Asians were also encouraged to take a yellow whistle as a sign of solidarity with Asian Americans.
“People are afraid to go outside, and that is an infringement on their right to live freely,” founder Agnes Hsu-Tang said, stressing the need to ensure physical protection in the face of violence that was increasingly making people afraid to go out.
“We hope that using this simple device can give people a little more confidence to go out freely and without fear,” Tang continued, describing the campaign as a practical “call to action.” “Yellow has a particular significance for Asians,” she emphasised.
In this way, reappropriation, through this targeted campaign, has given Asian Americans a way to know that they have allies wherever they go. The Yellow Whistle is one of many safety initiatives — including daily patrols, self-defence programmes, and the distribution of pepper spray and personal keychain alarms — launched by Asian American communities in response to the rise in anti-Asian hate during the pandemic and the prolonged lockdowns.
#HateCrimes | Unfortunately, hate crimes were also reported.
The programmes were revived over the course of the past year (2022), as Asians and Asian Americans experienced a resurgence and rise in verbal attacks related to #Covid and its subvariants. In 16 of the largest U.S. cities, hate crimes targeting Asians increased by 145% in 2020, according to an analysis by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.
#StopAAPIHate has recorded more than 10,000 reported hate incidents between March 2020 and the present. Nearly half included at least one hateful statement containing anti-Chinese and/or anti-immigrant rhetoric.
The bottom line: The message behind The Yellow Whistle is “something that we should subscribe to,” Tang said, adding that “the campaign has definitely become a rallying cry for Asians,” with support from non-Asian communities as well. At its core, the campaign is about recognising that we are standing up, first and foremost, for our fundamental rights to self-determination and self-agency.
With information from AXIOS.com
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