Anti-Asian acts and policies are an ugly part of our history
From Snohomish County to Congress, condemnations came swiftly. Anti-Asian acts are on the rise and were highlighted by Tuesday’s shooting deaths of eight people in Georgia. Local history shows how Asians were targeted long ago, by brutal attacks and through government actions, even as their toil helped build the Northwest.
-snip-
Lisa Labovitch, a history specialist at the Everett Public Library, has researched the treatment of workers from China, Japan and India in the Northwest. Of the many examples of anti-immigrant incidents covered by The Everett Daily Herald, some stand out for their blatant expressions of hate.
“Everett Has No Use for the Heathen Chinese,” was the headline on a Herald article by D.R. French, published Feb. 22, 1902. It protested plans to operate a cannery in Everett using “Mongolian muscle.” The article said “several deeds of violence were committed against the Mongolians” and quoted County Assessor E.M. Allen as saying “Everett will be a better and cleaner city without Chinamen.”
-snip-
The anti-Chinese movement is explored in classroom resources created by the University of Washington’s Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest. Our state saw strong labor activism between 1880 and 1920, with conflict not only between classes, but between racial groups.
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/anti-asian-acts-and-policies-are-an-ugly-part-of-our-history/
