Hate crimes occurring within the AAPI community.
Matthew: You're listening to the Solidarity Podcast; we're your hosts
Natalia: Natalia Estévez and
Matthew: Matthew Ondeyo
So last episode we went over what it means to be Black in America; however, this episode we wanted to address the Anti-Asian American Hate crimes that have been occurring. In the past year, the amount of racism and hatred towards the Asian American Pacific Islander community has increased significantly. According to California State University’s Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, “There were 122 incidents of anti-Asian American hate crimes in 16 of the country’s most populous cities in 2020, an increase of almost 150% over the previous year.” This increase has seriously affected the older demographic; as reported by Stop AAPI Hate, “126 of the incidents involved Asian Americans over the age of 60.” There has been little to no media coverage over these hate crimes, leaving the Asian-American community to feel as though they are not being heard or understood. Personal biases and negative views regarding the Asian-American community have grown and continue to grow throughout the country, and in order to be a proper ally we must first recognize the issue at hand and why these racist actions towards the AAPI community have increased.
Natalia: When COVID-19 first hit the US, the Asian-American community immediately became the scapegoat for all COVID casualties and economic issues. This hatred was mainly fueled by Former President Donald Trump in which he regarded the pandemic as the “Kung-Flu” and the “Wuhan Virus,” leading to many of his followers to force their hostility and frustration onto multiple Asian-Americans such as Bawi Cung and his family who were brutally attacked with a knife at a Sam’s Club in Midland, Texas; this left his sons’ face as well as their safety permanently damaged. This example is just one of many families that have been hurt or psychologically affected by these ignorant acts of violence against the AAPI community. No matter if you haven’t seen or heard of these crimes, they are happening in our country, and it is important to take action to stop them from continuing. Petitions and advocacy groups are available online and on social media for you to acclimate yourself with, and sharing these stories and information will allow others to do the same.
Matthew: A big factor in which many people aren’t speaking out about these hate crimes is because of the model minority myth. This is the idea that Asian-Americans don’t experience racism. However, this is clearly not the case. It is important we stand together and denounce these instances because if not, this will cause Asian Americans to invalidate their experiences. As an ally, it is important to not contribute to this invalidation, especially if you were quick to support other movements such as BLM.