Asian Hate

The phrase “stop Asian hate” has recently been trending all over the world. Recent attacks and mistreatments of the Asian community has sparked an uproar across the globe and spreading awareness to the mistreatments of the Asian community has been important to many. All over the world, different groups of people and organizations have taken steps to address this issue. It is important to understand how the movement started and what events led to the recent protests regarding the cause.

On March 16th a story broke out that eight people were shot dead at a massage parlor in Georgia, within that eight people six of them were Asian women. After finding out more about the shooter, many believe that the shooter was racially motivated. On March 30 a video was released showing a man kicking and stomping on an Asian woman in the streets of New York City. The attacker reportedly made various anti-Asian statements while assaulting her. On February 27, Jeremy Lin, a professional Asian-American basketball player, was called “corona-virus” by an opponent. These events were a part of a 150% increase in Asian hate crimes that prove that the hate needs to stop. Many believe the reason for these acts of hate are rooted off of anger and blame that is being put on the Asian community because the coronavirus originated in China. Some believe that the hatred goes deeper than just the coronavirus and that awareness is needed to bring light to these ongoing issues. 

To bring awareness to the issue, thousands have been out on the streets protesting. Many used the March 27th “national day of action and healing” to show their support to the Asian community. Protests all across America, including the cities of Los Angeles, Princeton, and Philadelphia, saw many come out in support. Signs were seen with the different phrases including, “#stopasianhate”, “Asians are not viruses, racism is”, and “hate has no place”. Celebrities including Rihanna, Pharell Williams, Mark Ruffalo, Lebron James, and many more voiced their concerns and showed support for the Asian community. Protests outside of America also took place in Europe. English and French protestors were able to gather in large crowds to support the Asian community and spread awareness. 

What can you do to help? This specific issue can easily be overlooked because if you are someone who doesn’t see or deal with these issues on a daily basis it can be hard to understand or know what to do to help. Some things that have been recommended to many to help combat the hostile acts towards Asians include: supporting groups and organizations standing up for the Asian community, speaking out and let people know if you witness a hate crime, support your Asian peers and make sure they are doing okay, and the best way to help is to educate yourself on the history of Asian American discrimination. Educating yourself on this can help you understand that the hate for the Asian community is deeper than the coronavirus and will hopefully help you realize how serious this issue is. The recent hate crimes on the Asian community have been a problem for decades, and the recent events have made it important to spread awareness to the issue while it is mainstream news.