After sending out a survey to thousands of its staff members on racism Wednesday, the United Nations (U.N.) has been accused of racism itself. The survey included a question that requested individuals to identify themselves and listed “yellow” as an option, a term often used like “the orient” as a slur against Asian Americans.
According to Reuters the survey entitled the “U.N. Survey on Racism” was sent to staffers accompanied by an email that stated the survey was created as part of U.N Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ “campaign to eradicate racism and promote dignity.” Staff members expressed that the question reflected historically racist Western views, other options included Black, brown, white, and mixed-racial.
“The first question is insane, deeply offensive and hard to fathom how in an organization as diverse as the United Nations this question was approved for release in a system-wide survey,” an unidentified U.N. staff member told Reuters. The use of the word “yellow” to identify Asians traces back to the xenophobic history of the “yellow peril” ideology. This ideology dubbed Asians, especially those of Chinese descent, as threats to white power, values, order, and culture. For years individuals identifying as Asians across the globe were referred to as ‘yellow’ to reinforce these stereotypes including one that perpetuated that Asians were “dangerous, exotic, or threatening,” according to NPR.
Following complaints and concerns, a U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric confirmed that the survey would be removed and revised. “We acknowledge the need to formulate these categories with greater sensitivity and will take immediate steps to rectify this,” Dujarric said.
“The term ‘yellow’ to refer to people of Asian descent is a slur. It should not be used, period. At the same time, it is useful to remember that language related to race is complex and always in flux,” Erica Foldy told Reuters, an associate professor at the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University. “Recently Brown, which had been considered something of a slur (though perhaps never as problematic as yellow) has come into broad use. But I don’t see that happening with ‘yellow’,” Foldy added.
This isn’t the first time the use of “yellow” on a survey or application has raised concerns. In 2019, IBM issued an apology after one of its recruitment Web pages gave applicants insensitive identification options including “yellow” and “mulatto.” While the company defended itself by saying the application was automatically imported from postings in other countries where those terms are used, the job application in question was based in the U.S., The Washington Post reported.
Unfortunately, xenophobia is not a new addition to our country’s history. Outside of slurs and stereotypes towards Asian Americans, American laws restricting immigration have targeted numerous groups, including Asians, from entering the U.S. Racism and crimes against Asian Americans have also increased significantly amid the novel coronavirus pandemic with reports of xenophobia coming in the form of not only verbal abuse but threats of physical violence as well.
Following the movement against racial injustice and police brutality, companies and organizations nationwide have been forced to reevaluate policies and other institutional racism they may perpetuate. It is essential for all institutions, small and large, to rethink their standards and eliminate any form of racism. While it is disappointing an organization as diverse and large as the U.N. has made this mistake of enforcing unjust racial language, there is hope with their response that change is ahead. Racism against any group cannot and should not be tolerated.
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