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- Yup, a COVID crisis related question.

- [Spokesperson] Go ahead.

- Because the attacks on the Asian American community continue to rise.

There were some videos that went viral because elderly Asian Americans were really attacked in a way that is difficult to watch.

And I wonder, other than the presidential memorandum, is President Biden going to take any further actions to address this problem?

- He is concerned about discrimination against Asian American communities- - Yeah, we're gonna get through this.

(upbeat bouncy music) I grew up enjoying to perform in front of people.

I've always wanted to just make people laugh.

(gentle sparkling music) I work in the laboratory.

I'm a medical technician, so I actually test all the samples, you know, that come in for COVID-19.

(pebbles crunching gently) (film clicking rapidly) We are the ones that work behind the scenes, that are doing the testings, and we seldom will get a personal thank you from somebody, you know, because we did their COVID-19 test.

Similarly, the signs, and notes, and letters, are usually directed towards the doctors and the nurses, people that have direct patient contact.

It's a feeling of a lot of technicians that we're the ones that are forgotten about, behind the scenes, but yet we do this to help patients, help people.

You have to feel good about yourself knowing that you're helping these patients, regardless if they know that you're helping them or not, so.

People just quitting because they were in a different department and then they were deployed to help nurses.

And you know, those people said, "Well, I didn't go to school to be a nurse, so I'm just gonna quit."

And they quit because they weren't asked to volunteer, they just simply were told to go.

And they said, you know, "We don't have hours for you in your department because we're on government lockdown, we're gonna close that department.

But, you can work in the COVID unit."

And you know, these people, they didn't sign on for that.

- You didn't refuse that, right?

- I didn't refuse that because honestly, I've been in... You know, what I'm doing in the lab is something that I've been doing for, you know, 20 years.

I'm not afraid of that.

I am cautious, you know, I use precautions, and I've done that sort of thing for 20 years.

I said, "If I was really that afraid of something," I said, "I wouldn't be able to do my job for 20 years."

You know?

I said, "I wouldn't even be able to work in the lab" because we're constantly exposed to bacteria, virus, assisting in the ICU, you know, and helping the nurses take care of these COVID patients, and a lot of them were end-stage, you know?

And I've witnessed people just sitting outside of the room of their loved ones, staring at them in the glass and just waiting for them to pass away.

I mean, it was disheartening.

And you know, you see them, it's such a feeling of helplessness, and you can't even try to comfort the people outside of the room because of what's going on, you know, it's just awful.

(bright screeching music) (child laughing happily) - Do this, Daddy!

(children singing happily) - Karaoke was like a big deal amongst Chinese American people, parents, friends.

You know, if you had a karaoke party or a machine, you know, that meant that you had money.

Because I was havin' such difficulties with bullies or... "Oh my gosh, does it have to be so loud!

Everybody's gonna hear!

You don't understand," (laughing gently) "You don't know what I go through.

In school, they all make fun of me.

I'm getting beat up in school, and now you're just reinforcing that stereotype.

Oh, they're just gonna find out.

'Oh my gosh, they have a karaoke machine too.

Oh, that's just typical Chinese people with their karaoke.

We're gonna make fun of them singing bad karaoke.'"

I mean, don't get me wrong, you know, I'm glad to see that someone is trying to sing and they're enjoying doing it.

And I guess I should have just tried to be more supportive.

But you know, at the time, I was just so like... (film clicking rapidly) Chinese American people, they like to stay with other Chinese American people.

And you know, it's saddening for me to feel that you have to stay under the radar.

You know, just don't complain about anything, don't say anything.

And you know, if you were raised by traditional parents, they'd tell you not to say anything.

And you know, I myself, you lose your individuality because you're kind of taught to just conform to society and just, you know, "Don't make any noise, don't say anything.

And if something happens, so what, it could be much worse," you know, all the time there.

Most Chinese Americans just try to, you know, put their heads down, just do your work, and don't complain, and study hard, and be diligent, and just do what you have to do to make sure that nobody bothers you.

Don't let society bother you, I guess.

(birds chirping happily) You know, it's tough because I have a lot of friends that, and I mentioned this before, they consider me white, (laughing amusingly) you know?

So they feel like it's okay to, you know say anything like, "Oh, this kung flu, and this Wuhan virus, and this China flu, and this is all your Chinese people's fault," you know?

And I have to laugh it off because these are my friends 'cause I know that they're not really saying it in a mean way.

But when I hear it, you know, I can't help but feel like, "Geez, like how could you say that this is the fault of all Chinese people?"

(birds chirping happily) I was born in America, but again, people automatically just associate you with bad things, you know?

(laughing amusingly) And I don't hate these people.

And it's like comedian Dave Chappelle said once, "I don't hate these people, I hate the way it makes me feel," you know?

I don't wanna feel that way, and I don't want to feel that way when I hear somebody say "kung flu," or "China flu," you know, "This is all your fault."

And I still feel like, "Ugh!"

So, it's hard to try to say anything.

And so, you know, a lotta the times I take my parents' standpoint, I just don't say anything at all.

(birds chirping happily) (footsteps padding softly) Kids in his school that were Asian or of Asian descent were picked on or something happened to them.

That's hard to see when you see young kids, whatever wrongdoings that are happening to the young kids, you know, for no reason.

And I totally get that, you know, I said, "That was me."

(laughing gently) I said, "I'm still going through that today as a grown man."

I still, every now and again I'm thinking, "Oh, it's not so bad," and then something happens where (Roger sighing disappointedly) "Really?

Like, you still don't fit in.

Even though you've been trying 50 years to fit in, you still don't."

(tense oscillating music) (gentle Chinese music) A Asian person liking themselves to a pebble.

I feel that, you know, most Chinese American people, I could say they're very to themselves, they like to be very private, so they're very humble individuals.

So as far as liking yourself to a pebble, I mean to me, that's a pebble on the ground, it's there but you don't really think anything of it because it doesn't bother you, it's just kind of there.

But a pebble also, if there were thousand pebbles on the ground, then of course you recognize it, you realize that these thousand pebbles are on the ground because they're holdin' you up.

So you know, it's a different story when there's only one pebble.

You may feel like a pebble, but when there's thousands of you, thousands of pebbles there, those pebbles are supporting the ground, those pebbles are strong enough to hold whatever they're walking on.

(calming droning music) (calming droning music continues) This is gonna be our first Thanksgiving away from everybody because of the pandemic.

And it's also gonna be the first Thanksgiving that my father's not gonna be here, he passed away this year.

So as a lover of food, which I am, my fondest Thanksgiving memories, I used to go to a buncha different houses for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving's not really a Chinese holiday per se.

Anyway for me as a young man growing up, I had a circle of friends that they would actually invite me to their Thanksgiving dinners.

And I could never turn down any because I always felt that it was such a incredible privilege for someone to invite you to share food with someone.

To me, that's like an honor.

So I would never say no to anybody, you know, and I got to eat at not only my parents' house which we never had a really big deal about it, but I got to eat at several other houses and I got to actually sample different types of foods, and I was so appreciative.

(laughing happily) And I ate every single plate, which is probably why, you know, I have this body now, so.

(Roger laughing amusingly) It's such a great compliment to you as a person to say something like, "Hey, we enjoy your company that much," or "We think that highly of you that we would like to eat supper with you."

And I don't know if other people saw it the same way, but "Wow, this is such kindness to me."

And it's hard for me to describe in words what that felt like to me, but... (sporadic upbeat music beginning) (loud extensive yelling) (upbeat bouncy music) I always wanted to just make people laugh or make people change their views.

♪ But it is a scary one ♪ ♪ Many bad things happening ♪ ♪ If you just look around you ♪ ♪ There are many things that need to be addressed ♪ ♪ So wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up ♪ The need to perform or enjoyment of performing, even though I grew up not comfortable at all in front of large crowds.

But once I would get there to a venue or somewhere, or get there in that crowd, once I was there, I would be adjusted, I'd be fine.

♪... had fun with his friends ♪ ♪ But then one night at the soccer banquet ♪ ♪ Everybody received a trophy ♪ December, 2020, we find a way to endure.

So Happy New Year, everybody.

♪ It is not right ♪ ♪ Why must we have this injustice?

♪ ♪ People starving all around ♪ ♪ Last night, in Michigan ♪ ♪ That lady want her fries ♪ ♪ Not enough fries ♪ ♪ So, wake up ♪ I spent my whole life trying to fit in, to be looked at as "American," as they say.

And with everything that happened since COVID, this is the first time where I thought, you know, "I really should embrace my ethnicity now."

Really just to see, you know, so much hatred and violence going on against Asians.

And you know, that's...

I am regretting that I suppressed my ethnicity, suppressed who I was because I just did not want to cause trouble or get in trouble with the other people around me that didn't like me being different.

So I said, you know, "I regret not learning more about my own culture."

It's a culture that really you should be proud of, and it was not something that I was never told to be proud of.

Realizing that I need to embrace my ethnicity rather than discard it.

- Hey, welcome!

- Hello, hello.

- All right!

- Hello, hello.

- [Roger's Friend] Dude!

- Hello, Michigan.

(laughing happily) Ooh.

Did I step on your foot?

- Totally natural.

- Oh no, I didn't, okay then.

(laughing happily) (light guitar music) 2020 has been a year of challenges and personal family loss, and then many of my friends have lost members of their family.

It's been hard for people to say bye to their loved ones.

We are restricted so many ways, but we find a way to still connect with each other.

And it's an endurement of... We as our generation will find a way to endure, and find a way to stay in touch with each other, and find a way to keep our memories with us and to pass them along to the next generation.

(soft quiet music) I get teary at the end of this, that's why.

Because the last verse is about dying and stuff, and I'm like, "Ugh, this is a little emotional at the end."

♪ You're lookin' for reasons ♪ ♪ You give in to fate ♪ ♪ And time keeps recedin' ♪ ♪ Into "it's too late ♪ ♪ So I follow my freedom ♪ ♪ And I fly off the track ♪ ♪ 'Cause it's worth gettin' lost ♪ ♪ Just to finally find your way back ♪ ♪ I'm not here to grumble ♪ ♪ I'm not here to sigh ♪ ♪ I stand and I stumble ♪ ♪ I live and I die ♪ ♪ And each time I tumble ♪ ♪ The one truth I've found ♪ ♪ No, you can't know the ups if you never fall down ♪ ♪ No, you can't know the ups if you never fall down ♪ - [Keyboard player] Woo!

(guitar solo wailing) When I go into play somewhere and they see this guy walk in, and they come up to me and say, "You know what?

I came in here thinkin' that Chinese guy ain't gonna be no good.

Oh, this is terrible, why did we come here?"

(upbeat music continues) But once they hear us play and they start enjoying themselves, they say, "Oh hey, that guy was pretty good," you know, "He did alright."

(laughing happily) So maybe, I changed the minds of some people, and you know, that was the big thing my entire life was just to try to find a place to fit in, just to have other people accept you not because of, you know, how you look but because of your actions.

And that's how it's been, that's how it should be with anybody.

♪ Too fast to contain ♪ ♪ And though it hurts to see you cryin' ♪ ♪ My beautiful friend ♪ ♪ It'd be worth all the tears ♪ ♪ Just to hear you laughin' again ♪ (upbeat music continues) ♪ I'm not here to grumble ♪ ♪ I'm not here to sigh ♪ ♪ I stand and I stumble ♪ ♪ I live and I die ♪ ♪ And each time I tumble ♪ ♪ The one truth I've found ♪ ♪ No, you can't know the ups if you never fall down ♪ ♪ No, you can't know the ups if you never fall down ♪ ♪ No, you can't know the ups if you never fall down ♪ ♪ I said you can't know the ups if you never fall down ♪ (upbeat music fading)