Season 5 Episode #8: The Bias Before the Virus

One in a Billion

Three in ten Americans blame China or Chinese people for the Coronavirus pandemic, according to the Ipsos Poll. Anti-Asian harassment, assault and hate crimes have also been on the rise since the outbreak began. However, the racial bias against Asians in America has long existed in everyday life way before the virus.

In Season 5 True Colors: Episode 8: The Bias Before the Virus, Janet Wu, a former Boston-based television journalist at WHDH-TV and media personality, talks about a racially-hostile incident on the subway five years ago that made her confront her identity as a Chinese American.

That subway encounter took Janet on a soul-searching inner journey reflecting on the roots of her culture - China - and her upbringing in her birthplace - America.

Listen to our conversation here.

Janet Wu is currently a reporter for Bloomberg Business News.

Music used: One in a Billion Theme Song by Brad McCarthy Trees in the Wind by Daniel Birch Tumult by Kai Engel Perennial by Pictures of the Floating World Inside the Moon by Stephan Siebert

True Colors – a Season 5 Special Series – is about the color of one’s character in a time of crisis.

In this 10-part podcast series, we have expanded our focus beyond Asians to include the African American experiences in Episode #1, Episode #3 and Episode #5.

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“One in a Billion” connects Asians and Americans through storytelling, one person at a time.

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