Activists Create a Movement to Stop Asian Hate

Since the origins of the Coronavirus, Asian Americans have been targets of hate speech and violence. Former President Trump’s use of the term “China virus” caused many of his supporters to follow in his footsteps and blame the pandemic on Asian Americans. In the midst of this, a movement to stop this hate against Asians started up. The deadly spa shootings in Atlanta drew much more attention toward the movement since 6 of the victims were Asian women.

  After the shootings, protests and vigils were held across the nation, where people demanded the hate and violence to end. Hundreds of people gathered near the Georgia State Capitol, carrying signs saying “Stop Asian Hate.” 

  Since the start of the pandemic, hate crimes against Asian Americans have increased and are still on the rise. The group “Stop AAPI Hate” claimed it received more than 2,800 reports of hate incidents against Asian Americans last year. The most frequent form of discrimination that had been reported between March and December of 2020 was verbal harassment. 

  In recent weeks, people have taken to social media to raise awareness about recent attacks against Asian Americans. Locally, a Ladera Ranch family fell victim to harassment by teenagers. These teens would yell racial slurs at the family and throw rocks at the house. This continued for weeks before the neighborhood rallied behind the family and set up a neighborhood watch team. 

  Another incident occurred in Oakland, California where a 91-year-old was shoved to the pavement from behind. This is just another example of the rise in hate crimes against Asians. In Orange County specifically, anti-Asian hate incidents have gone up by around 1200%, according to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.

  Lawmakers are pushing for the Department of Justice to improve tracking and prosecution of hate crimes as well as expand resources for victims. The advocates for the Stop Asian Hate movement are trying to get everyone involved, including non-Asians. As hate incidents stay on the rise, many are looking toward non-Asians and lawmakers to become allies and push for reform.