Since the start of the pandemic last year, Asian Americans have faced discrimination and xenophobia due to fear of COVID. The rise of Covid-related racism was fueled by former President Trump’s repeated use of a racist description of the coronavirus; references such as “bat eaters,” “Kung flu,” and “the Chinese virus.” In the past few months, there have been a surge of incidents of discrimination, racism and violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Many communities are seeing robberies, burglaries and assaults targeting older Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) individuals.

In San Francisco, an 84-year-old Thai American Vicha Ratanapakdee died from injuries after he was pushed into the sidewalk. In San Jose, California, a 64-year-old Vietnamese American woman was robbed of $1,000 in cash, days ahead of Lunar New Year. In New York, Noel Quintana, who is 61 and Filipino American, was slashed in the face during a subway confrontation. In Oakland, California, a 91-year-old Chinese elder was assaulted and pushed to the ground. And in San Leandro, an elderly man was injured and robbed while attempting to go to the bank. You’ll find similar stories from last year like, the 89-year-old Chinese woman who was set on fire in Brooklyn.

Asian Americans have faced discrimination and violence at a much higher rate than the previous years. According to the NYPD, they reported that hate crimes motivated by anti-Asian sentiment jumped 1,900% in New York City in 2020. Stop AAPI Hate, a platform documenting anti-Asian bigotry during the pandemic, received more than 2,808 reports of anti-Asian discrimination between March 19 and December 31, 2020. The anti-Asian incidents make up 15.6 percent of all reported hate crimes thus far, making Asian Americans the third most racially targeted group following Black Americans and Jewish Americans.

We Matter. And Your Silence Is Dangerous

With the recent continuation of attacks against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, there has not been enough news coverage to raise awareness of what has been happening. These attacks are not isolated incidents, this is the direct result of xenophobia and yellow peril that has existed in America for decades. Part of the reason that the racial violence against Asian Americans often goes overlooked is because of the persistent stereotypes about the community. We’ve all heard the stereotype – Asians are good at math, this statement stems from the idea of the model minority myth, the idea that certain minorities can serve as a successful assimilation “model” for other minority groups. Because of this false idea, it creates a fallacy that Asian Americans don’t experience struggle or racial discrimination, a stereotype that we see represented in media like the film Crazy Rich Asians and more recently Netflix’s Bling Empire.

“This myth stems specifically from anti-Black racism and creates a divide amongst the BIPOC communities. White supremacy limits opportunities for BIPOC, and pitting Black and Asians communities against each other with racial propaganda to foster animosity.” Because of this myth, Asian Americans developed a fear of vulnerability and imperfection, making them less open to sharing their problems. With the recent violence attacks, there also has been many members of the Asian community generalizing the entire black community as “attackers” because of the attacks against Asian elders. “If claiming that faulting all Asians for COVID is wrong, then faulting all Black people for the actions of a few is hypocritical and anti-Black.” The model minority myth is harmful to the struggle for racial justice, and it does not exist. We must come together as one and stand in solidarity, especially in these difficult times. The only way to heal is to unlearn past myths and stereotypes, and instead uplift one another into intersectional activism.

Here’s what you can do to help.

First and foremost, if you witness or are targeted in any hate crime attacks, or if you have any information about other ongoing investigations, you should report it immediately to the authorities.

Sharing and reposting verified information about the attacks on your own platforms can have a huge impact in raising awareness and ensuring that action can be taken to protect and bring justice to the AAPI community. You can follow accounts like NextShark or Stop AAPI Hate.

Learn and amplify issues of violence against the AAPI communities and check in with elders of your community. Work to end white supremacy, anti-Blackness, xenophobia, poverty, police violence, and violence within and against our communities.

Finally, show support financially by donating to nonprofit civil rights organizations such as Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Stop AAPI Hate, the Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Womankind, and the Anti-Defamation League.

Anti-Asian Violence Hasn’t Ended, It’s Getting Worse

We Matter. And Your Silence Is Dangerous

Here’s what you can do to help.