The AAPI Community Encountering Hate Crimes During the Pandemic
by Amber Li
Chinese virus.” “Wuhan coronavirus.” “Kung flu.” Those are only a few of the nicknames for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
From yelling phrases like “Go back to China!” to attempted murder, the rate of hate crime towards those of Asian descent is rising across the country due to the virus that originated in Wuhan, China. On March 14 in Midland, Texas, a Burmese family was attacked by a nineteen-year-old man because he believed they were infecting others in the store.
A Chinese-run restaurant in Seymour, Connecticut was targeted on April 3rd. The owners received multiple phone calls expressing death threats and related warnings. A similar disturbance transpired in Philadelphia where various houses received offensive letters advising them to burn themselves alive. Another occurrence was when a thirteen-year-old boy was charged for assault and aggravated harassment against a middle-aged man in New York City.
Other reports show Asians being verbally and physically harassed, spat at, and having their residences covered in quarantine posters. These actions arise from the belief that the Chinese should be blamed for spreading the disease to America. It even goes as far as pretending that they are the viruses.
Similarities are seen in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Islamophobia following the 9/11 attack. Asians were referred to as the ‘yellow peril’ while the two twenty-first-century disasters led to scapegoating. Both administrations at that time had channeled the public’s outrage upon a racial minority.
Despite these deplorable actions, the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community is fighting back and discouraging similar incidents from occurring. Websites are available to report any discrimination, xenophobia, and bigotry like Chinese for Affirmative Action
(https://caasf.org/) and Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (http://www.asianpacificpolicyandplanningcouncil.org/asian-american-pacific-islander-aapi-civil-rights-organizations-establishes-stop-aapi-hate-reporting-center/).
Asian American celebrities are also using their influence to speak against these attacks, including Olivia Cheng, Tzi Ma, and Celia Au. A campaign called Wash the Hate was created to encourage better hygiene and dissuade racism.
Lastly, over twenty-four Senate Democrats had expressed solicitude for the rise in biased crimes against Asian Americans by writing a cooperative letter to President Donald Trump. All 29 said they “are alarmed by the severity and increasing frequency of hate crimes and race-based harassment against Asians and members of the Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.”
Resources:
Alicia Rancilio. “Asian celebs work to combat racist attacks amid pandemic”. April 27, 2020. AP News. https://apnews.com/10aaef02fe83f069b78b9944f2a6fea5
Charles Davis. “Senate Democrats call on Trump to work with them to combat anti-Asian bigotry”. April 21, 2020. Business
Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/democrats-pledge-to-work-with-trump-combat-anti-asian-hate-2020-4
This article has been published as part of a series of weekly writings by OCA Greater Phoenix’s interns for AAPI Heritage Month 2020
