“Virtual Ethnic Town Hall”: WeChat and Suburban Chinese Migrants’ Multidirectional Activism

Abstract

The so-called rise of the Chinese American right, particularly suburban migrants from mainland China who have become vocal in local and national politics, has gained both public and scholarly attention in recent years. This article focuses on a suburban Chinese community in Greater Boston and examines its 2017 and 2018 debates on WeChat (the most popular social media platform among ethnic Chinese) concerning the controversial Asian American data disaggregation bill H.3361. Along with in-depth interviews with community members and activists, these WeChat discussions show four different and subtle positions on the bill, revealing that suburban Chinese migrants are not a monolithic group and those opposing the bill are not always conservatives. Although some observers describe WeChat as the “virtual Chinatown,” this article argues that it has been a “virtual ethnic town hall” where migrants can debate community issues, understand American society, and practice democracy. This article also provides a much-needed analysis of the sending country's impacts on migrants’ views of race, class, mobility, and sovereignty. It ends with migrants’ responses to more recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing China-bashing and anti-Asian hate (including the proposed WeChat ban), highlighting the community's vociferousness and resilience in defending its rights and redefining its identity at a historical crossroads.