Rani Banerjee & Friends

Rani Banerjee, along with three friends, was subjected to a racist confrontation in a Plano parking lot in Texas. The incident, captured in a viral video, shows a woman identified as Esmeralda Upton yelling racial slurs and physically assaulting Banerjee. Upton, who claimed to be Mexican-American, expressed hatred toward Indians, telling the group to "go back to India."

Feeling threatened, Banerjee and her friends called 911, and Plano police responded promptly. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned the incident and urged law enforcement to investigate it as a hate crime. The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum also expressed deep sadness over the attack, highlighting the alarming increase in prejudice and discrimination against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.

Upton has been charged with assault bodily injury and terroristic threats, and the Plano Police Department's Crime Against Persons Unit is investigating the incident as a hate crime. The museum emphasized the importance of combating hatred and prejudice, encouraging education about AAPI history and the impact of discrimination. They provided resources to learn more about AAPI identities and combat bias.

The incident serves as a reminder of the ongoing challenges faced by marginalized communities and the need to address and condemn acts of racism and hate crimes. The limited coverage of this incident in mainstream media raises concerns about the visibility and recognition of racially motivated attacks, particularly when the victims belong to minority communities.