D.C. Councilman Marion Barry’s recent remarks about Asians haven’t inflamed racial tensions between blacks and Asians in the District — they’ve highlighted them.
Disrespect and mistrust among minority communities aren’t limited to Barry’s Ward 8, which is largely black but served by many Asian-owned stores. It’s a national issue, said Tom Hayashi, executive director of the Organization of Chinese Americans.
“It’s going to take some bold public policies to address these issues,” Hayashi said. “It comes down to racism, it comes down to economics.”
Hayashi’s comments came after Barry’s second meeting with his constituents and representatives of the Asian community Thursday as the “Mayor for Life” tries to smooth over his relations with the latter after two controversial remarks he made last month.
The first came on the night of his primary election victory April 3, when he declared, “We got to do something about these Asians coming in and opening up businesses and dirty shops.” Three weeks later, he remarked during a D.C. Council hearing, “It’s so bad that if you go to the hospital now, you find a number of immigrants who are nurses, particularly from the Philippines. And no offense, but let’s grow our own … ”
Barry publicly apologized for the first comment. Thursday’s meeting was the second of several he plans to hold to apologize for the nurses comment. However, media are not allowed to attend the sessions.
Barry said after Thursday’s meeting he wasn’t the only one who has held such views.
“The problem is, the African-American community feels even stronger about the disrespect than I do,” he said.
D.C. resident Geraldine Hall, who left the discussion early, defended Barry’s remarks about store owners.
“Those dirty stores, inside and out, are filthy,” said Hall, who is black.
Still, members from organizations such as the Filipino Nurses Association and the D.C. Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs called the meeting productive.
Topics discussed included setting up a scholarship for local students to enter the nursing profession and outreaching at high schools.
“I think we’ve been productive and I think he’s sincere in what he says,” said Floyd Mori, executive director of the Japanese American Citizens League. “But now we have to watch … what he does.”
