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Say NO to racism -- Chinese American's loyalty and
patriotism are questioned again after the spy plane incident |
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Navy Lieutenant Shane Osborn salutes upon
arrival at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, Hawaii on April 12, 2001. Osborn was the
pilot of the surveillance plane that collided with an intercepting Chinese jet April 1,
2001. (Sam Mircovich/Reuters)
Navy machinist mate Nicholas Mellos waves an American flag during welcome home ceremonies
April 12, 2001 at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, Hawaii. Mellos is one of the
twenty-four spy plane crew members detained for 11 days by the Chinese government after
they made an emergency landing on Hainan Island after colliding with an intercepting
Chinese jet on April 1. (Ben Margot/Pool via Reuters) |
| China lionized its new 'revolutionary martyr,'
Wang Wei, the fighter pilot killed in a collision with a U.S. spy plane, signaling an
uncompromising stance in bilateral talks on the incident this week. President Jiang Zemin
conferred on Wang the title 'Protector of the Sea and Sky' and urged the Chinese military
to learn from the pilot's exemplary actions during the April 1 incident, the official
Xinhua news agency said. (Xinhua via Reuters) |
| A protester (L) is led away by a Chinese
security policeman as he tried to flash an anti-U.S. protest banner outside the United
States embassy in Beijing April 5, 2001. The man frantically wrote on a white banner to
protest against the presumed death of a Chinese fighter pilot in a mid-air collision with
a U.S. spy plane. The brief incident followed the attempted protest on Wednesday by three
people carrying a Chinese flag near the U.S. ambassador's residence. REUTERS/Guang Niu |
OCA
STATEMENT ON RELEASE OF AMERICAN CREWMEN
GEORGE M. ONG
OCA NATIONAL PRESIDENT
APRIL 11, 2001
The Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) is delighted to hear word this morning that
China will soon release the 24 American crewmen.
Unfortunately, for Chinese Americans the problem does not end with the release of the
crewmen. Despite the fact that we are U.S. citizens and permanent residents, we continue
to be beset with false characterizations and, when circumstances like this incident arise,
our loyalty and patriotism are questioned.
During the past week:
* a national talk show host allegedly called for all Chinese Americans to be
interned--reminiscent of the fate of the
120,000 Japanese Americans interned during World War II.
* a host at Fox News & Friends declared support for the firing of "Chinese
national laboratory employees" in retaliation for China's insistence on an apology.
* an April 16, 2001 Business Week article says that a Gallup survey found that more than
80% of Americans believe that China is "dangerous".
* in Springfield, IL a local radio talk show host said that people should boycott all
Chinese restaurants and that all Chinese should be sent home to "their country".
Another commentator suggested a Chinese camp for Chinese. This comment was followed by the
phoning of people with Chinese last names and harassing them.
We are deeply concerned about the potential negative repercussions this heated rhetoric
will have on Chinese Americans and Asian Pacific Americans.
Like the 1996 campaign finance controversy and last year's Wen Ho Lee case, when
controversial incidents occur involving the U.S. and China, Chinese Americans and Asian
Pacific Americans often become the victims of racial profiling and scapegoating.
As a national educational and civil rights advocacy group, OCA's purpose is to fight
against these misperceptions and promote Chinese Americans and Asian Pacific Americans as
equal partners in America and as loyal Americans.
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Say No to Racism - Letter to the Springfield Mayor
Hasara from SCAA President
April 10, 2001
Dear Mayor Hasara,
In the last two days, the commentators of WQLZ and WMAY have been airing disparaging
remarks regarding Americans of Chinese descent. These incidents fully demonstrate a lack
of respect and sensitivity towards Chinese American community. Freedom of speech is one
thing, furthering racial hatred in the air is quite another. We, as one of the leading
Asian American organizations in Springfield, strongly implore you to stand with us and to
condemn the hate mongering.
Respectfully yours,
Steven Chen, President
Springfield Chinese American Association
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April 12, 2001
Mr. Tom Kushak
General Manager, WQLZ
P.O. Box 460
Springfield, IL 62705
Dear Mr. Kushak:
It is my understanding that in recent days the hosts of the Lytle and Lamb morning talk
show on WQLZ radio made disparaging and racist remarks and displayed outrageous behavior
resulting from the incident involving the U.S. and Chinese military aircraft.
According to a listener, one of the hosts said that if the Chinese pilot came to the
United States, he should be put into a "Japanese camp." Mr. Lytle or Mr. Lamb
also mocked the Chinese by saying "they all have slant eyes." Finally,
yesterday, the two hosts engaged in what they considered a prank by telephoning people
with Chinese surnames and mocking them in their own version of heavily accented speech
before hanging up.
Lytle and Lamb's remarks that the Chinese pilot should be put into a Japanese camp,
presumably a reference to the U.S. internment camps during World War II, exhibit the
inherent danger of what they are saying. During World War II Japanese Americans were
evicted from their homes on the West Coast and incarcerated in camps because racism
blinded distinctions between the actions of foreign nations and the rights of American
citizens.
And so it is with the nature of their remarks. When they use terms such as "slant
eyes" they preach the language of slurs, stereotypes and hate where Chinese Americans
and all Asian Americans pay a price for the emotional message by being made vulnerable to
others who may repeat these terms because they heard them on the radio.
Lytle and Lamb's stunt in calling people with Chinese surnames is outrageous. Singling out
people for abuse because of their ancestry is repugnant and indefensible. It's difficult
to understand why these two hosts believe they can engage in such a stunt. Regardless, the
behavior is beyond the bounds of decency and it should be beyond the line of what your
station tolerates in the actions of its talk show hosts.
We understand that talk radio is an entertainment medium, and not a journalistic one. We
understand that the medium is opinionated and subjective. However, we do not believe that
talk radio should be used to pander to bigotry because of the great danger it holds for
perpetuating this type of behavior.
The Japanese American Citizens League is the oldest and largest Asian American civil
rights organization in the United States. If we are to believe that radio station WQLZ
takes seriously its charter to serve the public interest, then the two morning hosts owe
an apology to the Chinese American community and to all its listeners who were offended by
their behavior. Moreover, station management must take steps to insure that this type of
behavior will not be tolerated by taking disciplinary action against Lytle and Lamb.
Sincerely,
William J. Yoshino
Midwest Director
Japanese American Citizens League
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TO: Illinois Asian American Hate Crime Network
FROM: Bill Yoshino, Midwest Director
Japanese American Citizens League
I received an email this morning from an individual in the Chinese American community in
Springfield raising concerns about comments made on a talk radio show (April 9, 10) related
to the incident involving the U.S. and Chinese military aircraft. The talk show
hosts referred to the Chinese as "slant eyes" and said that if the Chinese pilot
came to the U.S. he should be put into a "Japanese camp."They also made
telephone calls to people with Chinese surnames mocking them in accented speech.
This afternoon I talked to an individual in the Chinese American community in Springfield
who is leading an effort to raise concerns to the radio station. She confirmed that these
comments were made and she has not been able to make any headway with the station despite
assistance from other individuals and groups.
You can help by registering your complaint with the radio station:
Tom Kushak
General Manager
217.629.7077
email rockyqlz@wqlz.com <mailto:rockyqlz@wqlz.com>
web: WQLZ.com
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