April 22, 2021, Sorrento Valley - In an article, journalist Lee Ann Kim came forth about the racism she has experienced as a woman belonging to the Asian American community while working as a journalist. From attacks by far-right organizations to institutional biases, and racist remarks from audiences, Lee Ann Kim discloses the wide array of vulnerabilities for a media personality belonging to the AAPI community. In what is a deeply personal account, Lee Ann Kim lays bare the apprehensions of her family and her struggle in the industry as a woman of colour.

On March 26, 2021, The San Diego Union Tribune ran an article by former TV news anchor and reporter, Lee Ann Kim titled, Asian American women like me have been objectified and dehumanized. This was my experience in TV news. The article, published in the aftermath of the Atlanta shootings last month, is a retelling of Lee Ann Kim’s personal experience as an emotional reflection of the hurdles that the members of the AAPI community face to progress in their careers. She recalls the moment her mother sat her down and warned her that her public appearance means that she now represents the entire Asian-American community, due to a dearth of representation in the news media industry. According to the article, while working in Houston Lee Ann Kim not only experienced physical attacks by her colleagues but was also targeted by the Ku Klux Klan for being one of the few people of colour in the region. 

While her move to San Diego, which hosts a sizable Asian-American population, should have come as a relief, Lee Ann Kim soon realized that racism runs deeper than just overt hatred. Stories covering the AAPI community were regularly assigned to white men in the newsroom despite four Asian-American journalists working in the same organization. And the audience’s response to Lee Ann Kim concerned not with her work but was laced with sexual remarks, exoticizing her appearance, when not outrightly mocking it.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism has documented the racism faced by Asian-American women journalists in much detail. While the hate fostered by Donald Trump’s White House has certainly exacerbated the problem, it is no denying that racism towards the AAPI community has been deeply baked into every state and non-state institution of the United States. In order to progress, the United States of America needs to introspect upon its own biases, and actively work to counter the rising white supremacist sentiment emerging in its political discourse. For if America claims to be a free country, it cannot be so unless each of its citizens is afforded similar dignity and respect.