Mixed reaction on MARTA's ‘yellow line' rebranding

By Christian Boone

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

MARTA's decision to brand its train line into Doraville "yellow" has stirred quiet debate among some  within Atlanta's growing Asian-American community.

That's not to say any Atlantans of Asian descent think it's a particularly good idea, considering that "yellow," when used to describe skin color, carries a racist connotation. But judging by a random sampling of patrons and business owners Tuesday at Doraville's Asian Square, a groundswell of opposition to the rebranding seems unlikely to build.

"Medium upset" is how Amigo Electronics co-owner Sue Gung described the community's reaction. Her husband was medium indifferent.

"What difference does it make if it's yellow, gold or black," said Gary Gung, noting that New York and other major cities use color coding to help commuters better navigate their transit systems. "Make the issue about the economy or something else more important."

Though transit authority officials were warned by their former manager of equal opportunity and conflict resolution that some might be offended by a yellow line to Doraville, MARTA CEO Beverly Scott said his complaint was not indicative of everybody's feelings.

Scott says she has asked Asian-Americans whether they were offended by the use of "yellow line," and they told her they were not.

Part of that reticence is cultural, said Helen Kim, advocacy director for the nonprofit Pan Asian Center, among the groups scheduled to meet Friday with Scott. They hope to persuade her to change the line's name from yellow to gold.

The MARTA CEO was not present at a November meeting with local Asian-American community groups about the yellow line controversy. "There have been other complaints," Kim said. "The issue to us is that when someone brought this up, he was ignored. We understand the decision to name the line yellow wasn't made with the intention of offending, but refusing to listen to us is intentional."

Kim said reactions to the controversy vary based on several factors. Some Asians new to America may be unaware of the racist connotations of yellow, for example. And previous generations who've endured more racism are prone to be more sensitive to its usage.

"If my parents or grandparents knew about this, they would raise hell," said Kevin Hoang, 30. "[MARTA officials] should've thought this through more."

Kenny Wong, manager of the Hair Capital salon, said such racial issues tend to be overly scrutinized in America.

"I heard about [the controversy]," Wong said. "It doesn't matter to me. Only racial people think about things like this."

His friend, John Nguyen, owner of Saigon Deli, took a different approach. "I don't consider myself yellow. I'm gold," he said, smiling.

For Kim, the issue is not so much about race but more about a lack of respect given to Asian-American concerns.

"If a line going to the south side of the city was named the black line, I think you'd have a different outcome," she said. "The sensitivity to Asian issues is not there yet."