After a year of living through a global pandemic, you would think we could become more compassionate towards one another. In the early weeks of the pandemic, we saw people referring to COVID-19 as the ‘Chinese virus’ and blaming Asian people for its spread. In recent weeks, this rise in Asian hate has returned with a vengeance. Several elderly members of the Asian community have been publicly attacked in the streets of major cities in the United States. It’s time to say ‘enough is enough’. Now is the time to stamp out Asian discrimination and hate in every corner of the world.

What’s Happening?

A glance through social media will give you a snapshot of some of the recent horror stories or Asians suffering from unprovoked attack - just because of their ethnicity. An elderly Thai gentleman died after being violently pushed to the ground in California. His crime? Going for his morning walk.

The majority of the violence is against the Asian community has been targeted at the older demographic, particularly those out in public alone. An 89-year-old Chinese woman in New York was slapped and set on fire. A 61-year-old Filipino man had his face disfigured with a boxcutter by a stranger on the New York subway.

The list goes on – and it makes for harrowing reading.

The irony isn’t lost on the fact that it is primarily younger people, seemingly aged anywhere from their mid-20s to 50s, who are behind these attacks. They’re not children trying to act cool in front of their friends. They’re grown adults. After a year of trying to protect our elders from the virus by social distancing at sheltering in place, people are now using them as their lightning rod for their racist behaviour.

Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition group in the US, said they received over 2,8000 firsthand reports of anti-Asian hate from 47 different states between March and December 2000. 126 of these involved Asian Americans over 60 years old.

Judy Chu, chair of the Asian Pacific American Caucus and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for California, has described the situation as being at “a crisis point”.

What Can I Do To Help?

While the focus is on the situation in the United States, Asian hate crimes are rising around the world.

The Asian-American fashion designer Phillip Lim took to Instagram to describe how “it feels as if we (the Asian-American community) do not really matter or exist”. Everyone has to play their role in ending Asian hate. Philip Lim’s video includes several examples of things you can do to help the community.

• Combat misinformation and lies. We all know the danger of fake news. COVID-19 is a health crisis, not a race-based virus. If you hear or see someone spreading these lies, correct them.
• Speak up when you see something. Imagine how different it would be if we all stood up and said ‘no’. If you see someone abusing – verbally or physically – a member of the Asian community, don’t silently stand by.
• Check on members of the Asian community in your local area.
• Donate to Asian community groups and organisations that are helping to combat the rise of Asian hate.

To find out more about how you can help, check out the #stopasianhate on Instagram.