Although the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ended the existence of racially discriminatory laws, racial discrimination in America still exists. Cases of racial discrimination and violence have been on the steady rise, especially towards the Asian American community, after the Coronavirus was declared a pandemic in the earlier months of 2020. Since the virus’s origins were reported in Wuhan, China, most people have become violent towards Asians globally. Thus, different people, organizations, and governments came out to share their support for the community and rebuke the rising hate crimes against the community. Asian American artists are among the people who banded together to share their views on their matters using their talents and skills. One such artist is Jessica Sanchez, who used her popularity as an Asian American pop artist to raise awareness of the issues that members of the Asian American community were facing in America, especially during the pandemic. She expresses her view of Asian American hate crime rise through her song “Us,” released in 2020. Through the song, she shows her support to members of her community. She appeals to the audience’s humanity in protecting Asian Americans from hate by expressing her views on the significance of equality. She accomplishes these feats through symbolism and allusion in her lyrics, her video’s cinematography, and actors and guest appearances in the video.
Jessica Sanchez is an Asian American artist who uses her talent and fame to condemn the surge in Asian hate crime since the coronavirus pandemic two years ago. Jessica Sanchez was born in Chula Vista, California, in 1995. Her mother is from Samaal, Bataan, in the Philippines, while her father is Mexican American from Texas, making her both Asian and Mexican American. Jessica rose to fame after finishing as the runner-up in Season 11 of American Idol. As such, she signed record deals with companies such as Interscope, which helped her meet essential people in the entertainment industry. In 2020, during the pandemic, there was a surge of cases of crime and violence directed toward Asian American people because some people blamed them for the spread of the coronavirus. To air her voice on the issues, Jessica Sanchez released the video of her song titled “Us” on May 8th, 2021. The song was meant to raise awareness of racial discrimination and xenophobia toward Asian Americans in the country. It was also meant to appeal to the audience’s humanity and empathy towards minority ethnic groups and promote racial equality and justice.
The song’s lyrics play an integral role in exploring how Jessica Sanchez raises awareness of the issues that members of the Asian American community face in America. She states, “I tried to numb the pain, that only we could ever change. Still we’re running every day, I wanna know, Why we’re afraid” (Sanchez, 2021). The lyrics are significant since they address the issue of racial discrimination and violence towards immigrants and people of color in America. The lyrics also question why and how racism still exists in American societies even though the constitution has outlawed the vice. An NPR Podcast, Code Switch, discusses how Asian Americans have been exposed to brutal acts of violence since the coronavirus was declared a pandemic causing socioeconomic problems such as unemployment and increased poverty. The podcast notes that the level of Asian hate crime has increased by 236% from 2020 to 2021 (NPR, 2022). The podcast also points out that Asian hate is not new; however, the pandemic has elevated the level of hate directed toward the community. Reports of attacks towards Asian Americans range from verbal attacks to mass shootings, leaving scores of Asian Americans injured while killing others. For instance, according to Code Switch, a gunman killed 8 people in Atlanta as he went on a killing spree and opened fire at three Asian-owned businesses (NPR, 2022). Such stories and acts relating to Sanchez’s lyrics since the rise of Asian hate are not being addressed enough by the relevant authorities. Through the song’s lyrics, one can note how the members of the Asian American community live in fear as they are constantly attacked while the government and police are yet to take a more active approach to solving the issue.
Moreover, her lyrics question the criminal justice system’s role in addressing the issue of Asian hate and whether it is doing enough to protect Asian Americans. Since Sanchez opines that Asian hate is not new and still exists, she questions how the government and judicial system handle the issue. In her song, she inquires, “Can we believe, In justice today? Would we still be the same?” (Sanchez, 2021). Her lyrics express how the Asian American community does not believe that the criminal justice system is doing enough to protect the community. In addition, the lyrics depict how the government is failing the community by failing to protect their fundamental human rights. This is also addressed in the podcast Code Switch, as the reporters note that President Trump’s hurtful words towards the community have played a role in the rise of Asian hate in America. The president has been noted to use the word “the Chinese virus” when expressing his view about the coronavirus pandemic. However, the president has yet to be summoned to court or have any legal action taken against him, even though his words can be considered a form of hate speech. Gover et al. (2020) opine that victims of hate crimes rarely report the act since they believe that the justice department does not take the issue seriously. Lack of trust in the government and policing systems have made it impossible for members of the Asian American community to believe that the criminal justice system can help them if they report racially charged verbal or physical acts towards them. Thus, Sanchez questions whether the community can believe in a justice system to protect them even though it ignores the existence of Asian hate.
She also uses symbolism in her lyrics to refer to the state of life that the Asian American community is experiencing while living in America. In her lyrics, “I won’t Stop to try and break, the chains that hold us in our place,” the word “chains” symbolizes factors that have led to the oppression of Asian Americans in America. The “chains” can symbolize the racially charged policies that were put in place to deter the growth of Asian Americans in the country. Gover et al. (2020) opine that state and national governments have “often implicitly/explicitly reinforced, encouraged, and perpetuated this violence through racist and xenophobic discriminatory rhetoric and exclusionary policies.” Past policies such as the Chinese Exclusion Act in the 1700s set precedence for Asian hate in the modern era. Such acts encouraged the segregation of Asian immigrants who tried to settle in America and improve their lives since they had moved to the US in search of greener pastures. However, the existence of xenophobic and racial laws led to the development of unfair treatment of Asian American communities in future generations. Asian hate developed to counter the growth of Asians in America and had numerous socioeconomic effects inhibiting the ability of the community to thrive. For example, it led to the economic disparity between the community and the white community since members of the Asian American community were denied better employment opportunities and wages than white people. Thus, Asian Americans could not improve their living standards or economically thrive as white people since they were given similar resources and opportunities in life.
Another “chain” symbolized by her lyrics is the existence of a language barrier affecting how Asian Americans are treated in the country compared to other ethnicities. Since the Asian American community comprises different Asian ethnicities, English is not their cup of tea or primary language. The language barrier limits how community members interact with others outside their community. It affects their ability to be treated equally as other communities since their use of language makes them different from the rest of society. Consequently, this leads to a number of challenges that the community experiences. For instance, language barriers limit community members’ access to certain resources, such as healthcare, which is vital, especially during a pandemic. According to Le et al. (2022), “With the current unprecedented stressors on the health system, effective language communication tends to decline in priority” (p.2). The article notes that most of the elderly population within the community are not fluent in English which puts them at a disadvantage in receiving health services while being at-most risk people from the effects of COVID-19. Language barrier thus hinders how community members face the challenge of receiving resources from the government since they cannot express themselves and the grievances they face to their representatives.
Furthermore, the language barrier has also led to conflict between Asian Americans and other communities, such as African Americans, impacting their ability to coexist in the same areas. The language barrier between the two communities often leads to misunderstandings and mistrust since they do not understand each other and cannot communicate effectively. According to the text Koreans Gone Bad, Korean Americans, and African Americans entered into conflict due to misunderstandings between protestors during the LA riots and Korean shop owners (Sung 2016). The language barrier caused the misunderstanding since they could not understand each other, making it appear that the Korean Americans took up weapons to attack the African American protestors, but in reality, they were protecting their business from looters who had taken advantage of the confusion caused by the riots. The language barrier is a chain that prevents the Asian American community from understanding the people around them, affecting their ability to interact with their communities. As such, Jessica uses the symbolism of the chain to address how various factors influence the oppression of the community and how it affects the ability of members of the community to fully integrate into American society without being viewed as different.
Lastly, Jessica supports the idea of promoting racial equality as a way to end racial discrimination and violence towards ethnic minority groups. Jessica advocates for civil rights protection and her song “Us” highlights this trait through its lyrics. The lyrics, “If all of us Realized our hearts Beat the same, Can we believe, again If it was just for a day,” explore the importance of equality in helping society overcome the challenge of racial discrimination. Like other Asian American pop artists, Jessica uses her lyrics as a window through which the audience can identify the issues that her community faces and how they can mitigate them (Schlund-Vials, 2016). She pleads with the audience to realize that they are all the same and equal regardless of skin color or gender. Her lyrics suggest that people should look beyond physical attributes and indifferences to help better their world. The physical and cultural indifferences between people, either by race or ethnicity, have had a significant impact in influencing the development of hate crime and violence in America (Chen 2000). However, Jessica urges her audience to realize that they share commonalities that make them all the same regardless of their physical differences. Her lyrics, “If all of us realized our hearts beat the same,” urges the audience to focus on the positive factors that make them similar and equal rather than on what makes people different. Through such lyrics, she appeals to the audience’s emotions as she engages them in a what if scenario of how the world would look if people embraced the idea that they are all equal, even if it is for a day. Through this, she shares how promoting equality could help people from ethnic and racially diverse backgrounds live in harmony in a diverse society.
Aside from the use of lyrics, Jessica Sanchez uses cinematography to share her views on Asian hate through her music. Cinematography is the use of different techniques to create a scene in a motion picture. The first aspect of cinematography used in the video is the use of color, which plays a significant role in exploring the song’s overall message. The music video director uses a black and white color scheme showing different panels of different characters in the video. The black and white color scheme is vital in depicting the message of unity, equality, and living in harmony among people of various backgrounds. The panels have people from varying backgrounds based on gender, sexuality, and ethnicity. As such, using a black and white color scheme, the characters appear equal before the audience’s eyes. While the lack of color in some scenes represents equality, the use of color in other scenes of the music video explores the idea of individuality. For instance, in the opening sequence of the song, Jessica is alone in a room with a brown floor, white curtains, and a wall. In another scene, color is used to show clips of various celebrities and famous people who share her views. The use of color in the scenes explores how individuals have a role in impacting positive change to help overcome the challenge of Asian hate and racial discrimination in society. Therefore, the use of the black and white color scheme helps to depict the idea of viewing all people without the lenses of color or identity, while the use of color explores the idea of how every individual in society needs to take a stand against social vices such as Asian hate in society.
Shot techniques are another element of cinematography explored in the music video. The video uses the middle close-up shot technique to help convey the emotions of the different characters present in the video. In the second sequence of the song, the shot allows the audience to note the song’s somber mood as Jessica sings about the issues facing the Asian American community. The second sequence has various people shot in the middle, close-up shots that show their reaction to Jessica’s lyrics. Some characters are shown singing to her lyrics, such as “we are running every day,” before the scene transitions back to Jessica. The shot is impactful as it allows the audience to understand the plight of members of Jessica’s community, helping them become more invested in her message. The characters are also shown smiling and laughing as the song progresses, and Jessica’s lyrics shift from the issues the community faces to promoting equality as a positive approach toward ending Asian hate. The middle close-up shots in the sequences show how the idea of equality can help end the issue of Asian hate and protect the lives of Asian Americans. The middle close-up shot technique is also significant in identifying the subtle differences between the members of the Asian American community since it is made up of different ethnicities from Asia.
Apart from cinematography, the actors and characters appearing in Jessica’s “Us” video help to promote her ideas to the audience. Since she achieved fame at an early age, Jessica has met a lot of significant figures in the entertainment industry. In her video, such people help to spread awareness of her campaign, which is to stop Asian hate towards Asian American people. Famous personalities like Apl.de.ap and Mark Cuban made a guest appearance in her video. The cameos by such personalities help to depict that other people in the industry are supporting her campaign to stop Asian hate. Internet personality and fellow artist Liane V also appears in the video. She wears a t-shirt written ‘love’ while the word ‘hate’ is crossed out. Her t-shirt further enhances the goal of the song in spreading the idea of equality and stopping Asian hate. The actors in the song also help depict the importance of the Asian American community. The men and women in the video represent different cultures from the community, such as Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean and Chinese, and how similar they are to other communities within American society. Through the actors and cinematography, one can understand how diverse the community is and why it is important to help protect its members. The video’s actors and guest appearances help convey the message of coming together and realizing that all members of the community are equal despite their physical differences.
Therefore, by using symbolism and allusion in her lyrics, cinematography, actors, and guest appearances in her music video, Jessica Sanchez expresses her support for the campaign to stop Asian hate. Her lyrics use literary techniques such as symbolism and allusion to explore Asian Americans’ challenges in the country. These techniques are impactful in appealing to the audiences’ sense of humanity and emotions to realize the value and significance of equality and ending Asian hate. The use of cinematographic techniques aid in delivering her ideas visually and also shows the audience that various famous personalities are supporting her campaign. Thus, the song “Us” plays an integral role in sharing the artist’s views on the Asian American community’s challenges and advocating for the adoption of racial equality.
References
Chen, T. Y. L. (2000). Hate violence as border patrol: An Asian American theory of hate violence. Asian LJ, 7, 69.
Gover, A. R., Harper, S. B., & Langton, L. (2020). Anti-Asian hate crime during the COVID-19 pandemic: Exploring the reproduction of inequality. American journal of criminal justice, 45(4), 647-667.
Le, T. K., Cha, L., Han, H. R., & Tseng, W. (2020). Anti-Asian xenophobia and Asian American COVID-19 disparities. American journal of public health, 110(9), 1371-1373.
NPR. 2022. “Screams And Silence, Revisited .”Code Switch. https://www.npr.org/2022/03/15/1086739262/screams-and-silence
Sanchez, J. (2021). Jessica Sanchez – Us (Official Video). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNY2w940Q0c
Schlund-Vials, C. J. (2016). From the Mekong to the Merrimack and Back The Transnational Terrains of Cambodian American Rap. Global Asian American Popular Cultures, 107.
Sung, W. (2016). David Choe’s “KOREANS GONE BAD” The LA Riots, Comparative Racialization, and Branding. Global Asian American popular cultures, 89.
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