THE POLITICAL CONSEQUENCES OF EXPERIENCING CONDITIONAL STATUS IN THE UNITED STATES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

ACADEMIC MENTOR: MICHAEL BUTLER, Professor of Political Science 

STUDENT 1: ZABRINA RICHARDS (B.A. with Honors, Clark University, Political Science, 2025) is a Master's degree student in Community Development and Planning (CDP) at Clark University in Worcester, MA (USA). Zabrina is passionate about amplifying Asian American/Pacific Islander voices, dismantling white supremacy, and community organizing efforts that put the concerns of the community at the forefront. 

Report.pdf to found here

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: 

In the last week of 2019, reports of suspected pneumonia were spreading throughout China. The rise in pneumonia-like cases led to the discovery of COVID-19. The World Health Organization (WHO) quickly declared a public health emergency. As the cases of COVID-19 increased around the world, fear amongst East and Southeast Asian Americans increased due to the surge of racially motivated attacks associating Asians/Asian Americans with COVID-19. My honors thesis examines the politically hostile context of the pandemic and its impact on East and Southeast Asian American young adults’ political mobilization. The political behaviors of Asian Americans are understudied. This research is important because Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racialized minority in the U.S. and have become an important voting bloc in U.S. elections. Lastly, this research disaggregates the data by ethnicity. This thesis seeks to examine experiences amongst interviewees and survey respondents regarding their political participation before and after the pandemic, and if the possibility of experiencing discrimination impacted their political mobilization. In regard to thinking about the future, below are a few policies that could be implemented to support this diaspora. 1. Make reporting of hate crimes and incidents understandable and more accessible. This policy should explain the importance of documenting hate crimes/incidents, go through the steps of reporting, and translate into various Asian languages. 2. Increase funding for community organizations. It is likely that these organizations would be appropriate stakeholders to allocate money to where it is most needed for community members. 3. Legislating AAPI history to be taught in K-12 curriculum. In doing so, this would help combat stereotypes, amplify Asian American experiences, and highlight how Asian American history is part of American history.