Franklin Roosevelt said Dec. 7, 1941, was "a date which will live in infamy," but he could not have imagined all the reasons. As many Americans prepare to observe the 50th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, other Americans note a rise in acts of anti-Asian bias and fear the observance will bring more. They have reason to be concerned.
In January 1990, a scuffle in a Korean-American grocery in Brooklyn resulted in a long and ugly boycott of all the Korean-owned stores in the neighborhood. Pickets handed out leaflets to discourage shopping "with people who do not look like us."
In Orange County, California, in June three Japanese women were assaulted in a bar because they were speaking Japanese. The attack reflected a sharp rise in anti-Asian incidents in southern California.
In July, 100 young Asian men in Revere, Mass., were rounded up by police and the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Why? Because of tension over the killing of a non-Asian, apparently by Asian youths.
