Korean-American Reporter Rebukes Racist Driver Who Yelled ‘This Is America’ At Her

A reporter with Philadelphia’s 6ABC Action News took to Facebook on Sunday to share how she became a victim of racial discrimination as she was crossing the streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Nydia Han, a Korean-American, who has been in the field of journalism for more than 20 years, was almost hit by a car when she was about to cross the road Friday.

“A driver, coming from the opposite direction on Locust, flew around the corner to make a left turn — clearly did not see me — screeched to a halt and missed hitting me by about half a foot,” Han says in a video that she posted on Facebook.

However, that was not the “headline,” as she put it. An argument ensued between the two about who headed the right way when it came to the intersection and it ended with the female driver driving off, yelling “This is America.”

Even though the driver did not use any derogatory racial slurs, it was enough to leave an impact on Han who decided to record her response in a video and post it on social media.

“It’s those three words ― ‘this is America’ ― that I would like to respond to since this woman did not give me the courtesy to allow me to respond to her at the scene,” Han said. “So, yes, this is America. I am American. Born and raised.”

Han goes on to warn the driver about thinking twice before she makes a judgment call on who gets to call themselves “American” since she has witnessed the very best and worst of the country during her years as a reporter.

“I know America in ways that you probably don’t and never will,” Han said. “I have seen Americans suffer and grieve. I have seen Americans rejoice and show resilience and recover. I have seen America at its best and at its worst, so I know ‘this is America’ ― you do not have to tell me that.”

She also told the racist driver not to undermine her ability to respond back just because she was not white or had a different ethnicity.

“Did you think that this face would not stand up against you? Against racism? And against ignorance? Well, you were wrong,” Han says. “I am Asian-American. I am strong, I am proud and I am speaking out against you today.”

People on Facebook have shown immense support for Han. “I'm so sorry to hear that you had such an ignorant and racist incident. I believe you gave a great response!! You go girl!!” wrote one user in the comments section below, while another wrote, “Nydia, your response was perfect. You showed how educated people can overcome hate and ignorance. I teach at the most diverse high school in the country. I want to share your video with our students. Thank you.”

There were also those who thanked Han for making the video, as she stood up for immigrants like them. “On behalf of my Vietnamese-American daughter--thank you,” said one user, while another wrote, “This is happening everywhere. People who don't know u scream things at us immigrants a lady told me to go back to Cuba and I'm not Cuban I m an American citizen.”

Han's Video has garnered more than 1.5 million views since it was uploaded and has been shared more than 23,000 times.