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Anti-Asian assaults have skyrocketed since March 2020, when parts of the U.S. started to go into lockdown and quarantine due to the pandemic. Fueled by racism, and xenophobia, and often encouraged by leaders and government officials, in the past few months, there have been more than 20 racist attacks on Asians — especially against the elderly and most vulnerable — leaving many Asian Americans afraid and wary.
According to data from California State University’s Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, anti-Asian hate crimes in 2020 have increased 149% over 2019, with 122 incidents in 16 of the most populous U.S. cities. In the corresponding time period, overall hate crimes have decreased 7%. From March and August 2020, non-profit organization Stop AAPI Hate recounted receiving over 2,583 nationwide reports of anti-Asian spurred crimes.
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Where did the hashtag #StopAsianHate start
On January 28, 2021, 84-year-old Thai man Vicha Ratanapakdee was pushed in San Francisco and died two days later. The day after his death, a 91-year-old Chinese man in Oakland’s Chinatown was attacked and shoved to the ground. Across the country, 61-year-old Filipino man Noel Quintana was slashed across the face with a box cutter while riding the New York subway on February 3.
Asian American Scout Chanlin talked about how the recent violence has affected her. “I have felt less safe since the 2016 elections,” she told Mom.com. The mom of three shared her family moved away from their very white town so that their children could grow up in a more diverse space. “The last year has increased my sensitivity to feeling less safe, but also, because we are staying home more, I feel like I can somewhat control where I go and where I might be more exposed to racism and microaggressions.”
In response to the most recent spate of anti-Asian violence, several Asian American celebrities — including Daniel Dae Kim, Daniel Wu, Van Jones, and Lisa Ling — did a series of talks on Clubhouse (an audio only app for iOS) featuring the hashtag #StopAsianHate. The celebrities wished not only to draw mainstream media attention to the anti-Asian assault and verbal harassment, but to also discuss how to push the movement forward.
Truthfully though, anti-Asian hate crimes have always existed. Scapegoating Asians is not new. One only needs to look back to the centuries-old news stories whipping up fear of the “Yellow Peril” sweeping through the U.S., Europe, and Russia. The xenophobic rhetoric so prevalent since COVID-19 is eerily reminiscent.
“The fact is: this is just history repeating itself,” multiracial Asian American activist Edward Walrod told Mom.com. “Activists, particularly Black and Asian ones, have been warning since the beginning of the pandemic that without proactive action vulnerable POC communities would be pitted against each other and aggressed upon by white supremacy.” Walrod contends the police, government, etc. had months to prepare and respond to these anti-Asian incidents and prevent them from happening.
Back in August 2020, The United Nations issued a report, finding over 1,800 anti-Asian racist incidents in the U.S. between March and May 2020. And yet, according to NYPD data in September 2020, anti-Asian crimes surged 1900% in 2020 — going from 1 incident in 2019 to 20 incidents in the first half of 2020.
What can you do to help signal boost for Asian Americans
With all the anti-Asian hate in the news, many folks will want to reach out, support, and give to the Asian American community. Here are some ways you can act:
Don’t be a “slactivist,” only using #stopasianhate
“The hashtag #stopasianhate is a nice gesture, but ultimately it means nothing if that's where your drive for justice stops,” explained Walrod. Instead of posting this hashtag or similar ones like #stopaapihate, he advised following them back to their source: mutual aid organizations, activists, and non-profits who are gathering resources for the benefit of all oppressed persons and communities. “Donate, March, write your city, state, and federal officials,” he said.
Learn about Asian American and Black history
Anti-Asian sentiment doesn’t rise from a vacuum. There are centuries of using anti-Asian hate, the Model Minority Myth, and using Asians as a wedge against Black people in order to uphold white supremacy. Learn those histories.
“I think it’s important to continue to speak up and spread awareness about anti-Asian violence, while also acknowledging colorism and anti-Blackness that is prevalent in many Asian cultures, and intersecting with, and learning from Black and Brown and Indigenous activists,” Chanlin said. “Whiteness tries to divide us, but we must band together in solidarity.”
Support local and community organizations
Find your local and Asian American community organizations and donate time or money. Read the resources they provide and find out how you can plug in and be of greatest help.
How to talk to your kids about anti-Asian hate crimes
In light of the recent anti-Asian violence and racism, here are some tips on how you can speak to your kids about anti-Asian hate:
Teach your children about bias
Make sure our children understand how bias — unconscious and conscious — works; that they know how society shapes their ideas about racism, bias, and diversity. No one is immune because everyone is a product of society.
Check your own behavior and comments
No matter how careful you are, it is inevitable our kids will pick up on our own unconscious biases. When you are frustrated about the pandemic, try not to blame anyone for being the cause. Be mindful of your reactions to news about COVID-19, and possible anti-Asian or anti-Chinese comments and responses.
Talk about the anti-Asian violence in an age-appropriate manner
Tell your kids about the anti-Asian violence and give them historical context. If you don’t know it, you can all learn together.
Chinese American mom Georgette Wong told us she talks about the violence with her kids, as well as what has happened historically. “My son, who is in middle school, is currently reading George Takei’s ‘They Called Us Enemy,’” Wong shared. “We talk about Vincent Chin, the internment of Japanese Americans, the treatment of the railroad Chinese, of how his Pau Pau couldn’t go outside of SF Chinatown for fear of being beaten up.”