Tracy Vo is one of the small number of Asian/Asian Australians who are on Australian TV and hosting/presenting the news/show in her own right. Currently she is a Weekend News presenter, and has recently penned an opinion piece about how she has had it with the casual racism she has experienced in Australia.
Vo is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees who have made Australia their home for over 4 decades and she is proud of her Vietnamese and Australian identity. Recently she penned a piece about her parents being proud Australian citizens and where she received many positive messages of support, she also received her fair share of hate and racist rubbish messages. Very normal in Australia at the moment. However, she recounts an in person racist incident she received at a cafe where her identity was questioned and she was treated with hate. Here is a few excerpts of what she wrote (via Nine News):
I was with my partner having a lovely breakfast, enjoying the winter morning outside our local café in Perth, when a lady approached our table.
She asked where I was “from” and I replied “Australia…”
She asked, “What is your ethnic background?…”
I again politely replied, “My parents are from Vietnam.”
I thought perhaps she was just after a chat with a young couple out and about for a Monday morning.
Then it suddenly turned.
She wanted to know what my religious background was and proceeded to label my family as communists.
Then, turning to my partner Liam, who’s of Irish heritage, the woman said: “Don’t be had by this Asian woman.”
She goes on about her anger about this and how the racist lady was trying to educate her husband against being with an Asian woman. This is the usual sexual racism and hate Asian women receive from non-Asians and its absolutely disgusting. It is good to see her come out and use her platform to talk about this – she also spoke about this on Twitter.
Images via 9news.com.au
To read the full opinion piece, please go to: ‘Enough is enough’: Tracy Vo was approached by a stranger at a café – before it ‘suddenly turned’