Advice for Being Effective Communicators for Positive Change
Hate crimes against Asian Americans have been on the rise during the pandemic. Former President Donald Trump fueled the fire by dubbing Covid-19 as the “China virus” and the “kung-flu.” Asian-owned businesses shuttered and the unemployment rate for Asian Americans skyrocketed.
The past year has been one of racial reckoning here in America. But as an Asian-American woman, my personal wake-up call came on March 16 when a 21-year-old man opened fire at three massage parlors in Atlanta and killed eight people, six of whom were Asian women.
Before the shooting, the racism toward Asian Americans was disheartening, but it also hadn’t been excessively violent. I could afford to bury my head and refuse to internalize the impact that Covid-19 was having on the Asian American community and what that could mean for me. After all, who wants to live in a world of fear?
The news of the shootings forced me to address the wave of anti-Asian sentiment that had been reverberating in America:
- What if that were my mother or grandmother?
- Once the pandemic is behind us, will it be safe for me to walk alone? Or have the public’s perceptions truly changed?
- What tangible actions should come out from this?
While the shooting was shocking, the communication stemming from the tragic incident was almost equally as puzzling and revealing. As communicators, we know the power of words, and their ability to both help and hurt progress. Nieman Lab criticized the coverage, saying although communicators everywhere had been reporting on negative impact of Covid-19 on Asian Americans for a year, several major newsrooms – including the likes of Reuters, New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal — failed to report the news in a way that addressed the deeply embedded racism that still exists in this country.
Communication about the Atlanta shooting is an example of what not to do; what occurred can provide tips and guidelines for effectively moving forward.
Who deserves to be understood?
Before writing, ask yourself if you’ve considered the topic not only from your perspective, but from others.
In the hours following the shooting, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Jay Baker gave a statement to the media in which he seemed to defend, explain and humanize the shooter’s actions: “He was pretty much fed up and kind of at the end of his rope. Yesterday was a really bad day for him and this is what he did,” said Baker.
The phrase “bad day” was not well received, and many commentators and pundits were quick to correct. The Daily Show host Trevor Noah perhaps said it most succinctly: “It was a ‘bad day’ for him? Yo, yesterday was a bad day for all the people who lost their lives.” The Nieman analysis pointed out that Korean news outlets focused their coverage more on the victims and interviewed community leaders to find out more about them.
What can we learn from this? Consider your audience and how your message will be perceived. Are you citing a variety of sources – both from experts and the community? Whose perspective and reputation are you ultimately promoting?
Do you understand the context?
Words have different meanings to different audiences. Context matters.
Captain Baker said in the press conference that the shooter claimed the violence was not racially motivated. The Captain’s stating of this and the resulting coverage suggested the murderers could either be racially or sexually motivated, but not both. This assessment leaves out critical context about the Asian American community.
For many Asian women, racism often takes the form of unwanted sexual come-ons, and sexual harassment is often overtly racist. Misogyny, fetishization and sexual objectification are deeply intertwined with racism. Consider that for Asian women have often been labeled “exotic” and “submissive.” At best, the implications for this language are unwanted sexual approaches. At worst, the intersectionality between racism and sexism has excluded Asians from immigrating, kept us from advancing economically and, most recently, led to bloodshed.
What can we learn from this? Know your audience, familiarize yourself with their experiences, and note any potentially sensitive topics and/or misconceptions. Are you using the language that your audience/community would use to describe themselves? Make sure your content accurately the depicts the reality your audience lives.
Are you being helpful?
In tense times, it’s especially important that your communication is helpful. The captain’s commentary about how the shooter was feeling was not helpful, and neither were news stories from the shooter’s perspective.
What can we learn from this? Ask yourself how to be helpful and let that be your guiding light on what to say next.
- Pass on information you find about how to communicate, help and where to give.
The Asian American Journalists Association created a document to help journalists give the Atlanta shootings context. - Offer a kind sentiment or encouraging word to people who are hurting and let them know you are available to be a listening ear.
- Give what you can and are willing to, whether it’s time, actions, or resources. The most important thing is that you earnestly are trying your best.
One day, I hope to live in the America that lives up to our songs and pledge: I want to live in a land where I feel free, and at home, and brave. I want to feel united with my countrymen, feel one and indivisible and know that we’re all fighting for justice for all. But today, it still feels like we have a lot of work to do. Let’s make sure our words reflect the future we wish to live.
