By Cecilia Wu, Franklin High School (Portland, Oregon), LiveGirl Fellow
Reports of hate incidents against Asian Americans are growing rapidly in the United States. The brunt of this violence is dealt onto some of the most vulnerable members of our community, including the elderly, youth, and children. This is an issue that once again rattled a community on edge after the Tuesday mass shooting deaths of eight people at spas in the Atlanta area, six of whom were Asian women. While the police have said it is too early to know the shooter's motive, the shooting cannot be dismissed as someone having a “bad day” as said by Jay Baker of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.
As an Asian-American, I’m carrying the fear of violence and am urging elected leaders to acknowledge and address the pattern of attacks against the communities. Those people are not only targeting Asians but those who are most vulnerable like the elderly and women. These actions are disgusting. Even though the shooter said the shooting wasn’t “racially-motivated,” the fetishization of Asian women and believing women are responsible and to blame for one’s sexual “temptation” cannot be accepted! Moreover, some oversimplifying the racist matter as a joke describing COVID-19 like “China Virus” and “Kung Flu” has led to lives being lost. While this isn’t something we want to see, those who have once said “China Virus” and “Kung Flu” have contributed to the brutal actions we see today.
These attacks come at a time of increased reports of anti-Asian racism and communities sounding the alarm about a wave of violent incidents. Recently, Stop AAPI Hate found that Asian women disproportionately make up the number of reports made to their center, accounting for nearly 68 percent of the 3,795 incident reports received. However, there are still many cases that are not reported due to a series of factors. So, when encountering a similar situation please:
Walk away from the situation and stay close to people
Take pictures or videos of the perpetrator (only if that's safe). If not, remember their appearances (eye color, race, hair, etc) to file a police report
Scream "HELP," "FIRE" or ask others for assistance. Remember to protect and defend yourself when needed.
Report the incident!
*Your safety should be the main priority! If you’re ever in doubt call your parents or a trusted adult. If you are in danger, dial 911 immediately.
Along with the movement to #StopAsianHate, we must also abolish the insidious anti-Asian racism that's infected this country for far too long. Go back and watch some of your favorite shows and movies, even recent ones, and you'll find subtle jabs at Asian people passed off as humor or backhanded "compliments." If you want to help, start by doing a bit of introspection. Confront the messages of anti-Asian rhetoric that have been fed to you by politicians, the media, and your own families. Reject the "model minority" myth and call out racism when you see it happening. My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of those who we have lost. Respect and protect each other by learning bystander intervention skills so you can de-escalate conflict while keeping everyone safe. The past 48 hours have been difficult for so many of us. As always, we stand with all victims and survivors of violence. We will never stop fighting. We must care for each other and work together to root out the racism that threatens all of us. In the days to come, there will be many ways to show support and take action.
You can start by supporting groups on the ground:
Donations/Resources:
A list from New York magazine shares more than 60 ways to donate in support of Asian communities.
An active document to help consolidate the Asian American community and justice organization that you can donate to.
GoFundMe.org created the AAPI Community Fund to support tax-deductible donations toward grassroots organizations with the goal to empower and support the AAPI community during these difficult times.
National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum: Group that helps support Asian Women and girls.
Supporting your local Chinatown’s restaurants, supermarkets, and other shops that have been hit disproportionately hard during the pandemic between decreased foot traffic and rising anti-Asian xenophobia can help these ethnic enclaves and their residents.
Heart of Dinner delivers lunches and fresh produce to New York City’s elderly Asian American community, which you can donate to here.
The National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA) has worked on initiatives including creating a database of mental health and behavioral services and is accepting donations through its site.
Reporting hate crimes:
The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA)—a group of 50,000 Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students—has curated a list of resources that include everything from explaining the difference between a hate crime and a hate incident to detailing ways to report hate crimes to law enforcement.
Pro bono Hate Crimes Task Force to offer legal resources to victims. You can submit a request through an intake form.
Report a hate incident to Stop AAPI Hate or share an incident through the Stand Against Hatred page launched by Asian Americans Advancing Justice.
