In this pandemic, Chinese Americans are pulling double duty. They’re not just protecting themselves from the virus, but also from anti-Chinese sentiments and hate crimes.
Patricia Zhang, a resident of Queens, New York, told Newsy: "My timeline has been pretty grim with COVID-19 stories, and stories of Asian Americans who were going about their day and being attacked. And I felt like I wanted to share this. ... It was important to me to ... put in another story of Chinese Americans who are doing good, as opposed to being just targets."
Zhang posted a photo of her father, Wallace, surrounded by boxes of KN95 masks, the Chinese equivalentof the much needed N95 medical masks. His organization donated 5,000 masks to Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn.
Wallace Zhang, the Chairman of the Chinese American Nail Salon Association, said: "They're very happy. They're very happy because they ran out of all the masks and the protecting clothes, something like that. … They are very, very happy."
Maimonides Medical Center tells Newsy it's grateful for the donation and that it has sanitized the masks for use. That donation is just the beginning.
Wallace Zhang leads the Chinese American Nail Salon Association, a group of nail salon owners and employees. They've raised over $58,000 through the Chinese social media platform WeChat. The majority of donors are of Chinese descent.
Wallace: "We heard from somebody, from the relatives, friends or their sons or daughters. They work in the hospital, and then we know: 'On our department, we run out the face masks. I used my face mask five days already. I don't even have another one to change.' That's what we heard. So that's why we bought the face masks."
Newsy's Cat Sandoval: "Why was it important for you to donate? What was the inspiration to donate to the hospitals?"
Patricia Zhang: "He said that whenever there's times of need, so he gave examples of 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy, that the Chinese community will try to come together and put our funds in for fundraising and to donate. … This is something that the community has done in the past and this is something that we continue to do now."
Even though New York nail salons are closed due to COVID-19, members of the Chinese American Nail Salon Association reached out to their connections in China, the world's largest manufacturer of personal protective equipment, to procure much needed supplies. They are expecting another shipment: 1,300 PPE items, which includes masks and gowns and 300 pairs of goggles. Because they are ordering in small batches, they are able to get it shipped right away.
Phil Wong, president of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance of Greater New York, said: "The nail salon owners and employees deal with personal protection equipment every day, from masks to gloves to face shields, so they have a readily [available] set of suppliers that will provide the quantities of these materials in instant notice."
Association members have also donated their own inventory of N95 and surgical masks. Phil Wong from the Chinese American Citizens Alliance says they've seen an increase in Asian American and Chinese American groups donating to hospitals. Sometimes families or individuals are doing so anonymously, not just in New York, but also in other cities.
Wallace Zhang: "When we work together, when we stand together, and then we can build this country more beautiful, more powerful. … So we all live together in one nation, and then we can get a happy, happy life."
Cat Sandoval, Newsy, Chicago.
