‘I am an American’: how a city official stood firm against an anti-Asian attack

Tammy Kim, the vice-mayor of Irvine, California, won her seat with more votes than any candidate in the city’s history. But that hasn’t stopped the racist attacks.

Kim, originally from South Korea, is one of three Asian American members of the southern California city’s council, which gained an Asian majority with Kim’s election. During a recent public discussion about a proposed veterans cemetery, she faced a xenophobic rant from a man who asked how she felt about the “36,574 Americans who died trying to save your country for freedom” during the Korean war.

“I am an American,” she responded emphatically. “This is my country. And I am an American.”

The exchange has drawn widespread attention, and turned a spotlight once again on the rise in anti-Asian hate during the Covid-19 pandemic and the vitriol that Asian American lawmakers face while doing their jobs. Hate crimes in Orange county, where Irvine is located, are on the rise too, while a new study found they increased in nearby Los Angeles county by 20% in 2020.

The Guardian spoke to Kim, a non-profit leader, about the experience, the racism she’s faced as a lawmaker and changing demographics in Orange county.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What happened at the 26 October meeting?

This particular gentleman who spoke, it wasn’t the first time. During public comment you’re supposed to just listen and let everyone have their first amendment.

He talked about the fact that I’m from Korea and they saved “my country” so therefore I should feel a certain way. That happened before, I didn’t say anything. That’s why, when it happened again, I just said: “This is my country. I’m an American, and this is my country.” I didn’t need to say anything more.

The Korean war was 17 years before I was born and we did not come here as war refugees. His comments were based on ignorance and the white savior complex of thinking they went to Asia to save us … and that I owe him something. At every level that is the core of white supremacy.

Had you thought about how you might respond or was it just an immediate reaction?

It just came out the way it came out. As an immigrant, you are constantly challenged to prove how American [you are]. This is land that was stolen from Indigenous tribes and built on the backs of slaves and everyone here except those who are native to these lands are immigrants. People of European descent are not questioned about their loyalty or patriotism.

After you responded to his comments and he finished speaking, what happened next?

The small group of his supporters applauded and patted him on the back. The camera didn’t pick up on [that]. It’s infuriating when you see that being encouraged.

It’s exhausting being the perpetual foreigner and it’s exhausting to have to prove my loyalty and my right to be here. You think you get to a certain point where this doesn’t matter any more but then it does. I’ve experienced more direct xenophobia as a candidate and a person in elected office than I have in my civilian life. It always exists, it just comes out because they’re thinking those thoughts anyway. That’s why you have anti-Asian hate. It’s very easy when you’re already viewed as the other. This is all part of a bigger systemic issue in this country. This is just a small manifestation of what’s under the surface.

What response have you received?

People were so glad I said something. Other communities have had these issues. In Orange county something similar happened to a supervisor who is Vietnamese and [was] told [in a meeting] to go back to Vietnam. This has happened before. I’m not the first person.

Orange county has a history of rightwing extremism and white supremacy. How has the region changed in your time there?

Orange county has long been a bastion and a safe haven for extremist white nationalists, the Klan. In Santa Ana they had lynchings of Chinese people in the early 1900s. Orange county has a long history of overt racism toward people of color, but demographics are changing. Irvine in particular has changed a lot. Orange county has changed a lot.

Asians are the fastest growing population in Irvine by far. The demographics are changing, the stores are changing. When the Albertsons closed and then it was announced that H-mart would occupy the space, there were residents who were not happy. When I came here there wasn’t a boba place and now there’s about 40.

What has your tenure been like on the Irvine city council?

There were 14 candidates I ran against. I ended up being the highest vote-getter in the history of Irvine. It felt great that I could be me and true to who I am and that resonated.

I’ve been able to move a lot of progressive items forward. The first thing I did was work with the police department to establish an anti-hate incident and hate crime portal in multiple languages. When we were working with the rental relief program during Covid, I insisted that the applications be in all the threshold languages [Farsi, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese], as a result we had people that had never been able to access rental relief before. This is what we talk about when we talk about equity and access. That’s what I wake up in the morning to try to accomplish.

The flipside is that being a public figure people think they can do or say whatever they want, including that I’m a reverse racist. Everything I do, I’m fighting for all citizens. When you’re fighting for clean air, you’re fighting for clean air for everyone; when you’re fighting for equity, you’re fighting for equity for everyone.

Across the US, the tenor of city council meetings and other other meetings has intensified with public officials facing increased vitriol. What do you think is driving that?

We live in a very polarized society right now where it’s like good versus evil and everything is very black or its white. I think unfortunately these are the times we’re living in. Everyone’s in their bubble, their echo chamber, whether it’s social media or the news they watch. I also think just not seeing people, it’s very easy to be a keyboard warrior. It’s not just one thing.