On March 19, 2020, the Asian Pacific Planning and Policy Council, the Chinese for Affirmative Action and the Asian American studies department of San Francisco State University set in motion the Stop Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Hate Reporting Center in response to the numerous attacks and hostile behavior against Asian minorities in the U.S.
Last year, more specifically, from March to December, this organization documented over 2,800 instances of anti-Asian violence, and although one might think that those numbers have decreased since 2020, they have not. Recently, there have been several attacks on the Asian American community — some of which have been fatal.
According to Human Rights Watch, in the past two weeks, there have been over 30 attacks against Asians in Oklahoma’s Chinatown alone. The recent mass shooting in Atlanta has also highlighted the hate towards the AAPI community.
On March 16, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long killed eight people, seven of whom were Asian, after targeting three different spas located in Atlanta. Once arrested, the gunman was charged with four counts of murder in Atlanta and one count of aggravated assault in Cherokee County. According to federal officials, there is not enough information nor evidence to support federal hate crime charges. However, local law enforcement agencies have claimed that every possibility will be considered.
Where does this hate come from and why is this happening? Asian discrimination in the U.S. is nothing new.
According to Charles Zelden, history professor at NSU, Asians started to migrate to the U.S. in the 1840s during the Gold Rush. They immediately became victims of discrimination because many Americans on the West Coast at the time viewed Asians as a threat to their work and community. This caused the U.S. government to shut the door to Chinese immigration in the 1880s, and 10 years later, the same was done to the Japanese.
In addition to this historical background, the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled discrimination, xenophobia and acts of racism against Asian minorities, especially since the Trump administration emphasized that the virus came from China by calling COVID-19 the “Chinese Virus.”
“It is not uncommon to blame somebody when you are facing a problem, but you do not do that if it’s people you respect. You expect to do it with people you hate, people you dislike, people you mistrust, people you fear and the pre-existing attitude towards Asians has made it possible to grow this anti-Asian racism and acts of violence,” said Zelden.
Zelden explained that instances of discrimination against Asian Americans, unfortunately, will continue to happen, no matter the circumstances. While there is a bias, people will act with or with a cause.
In response to these events, President Biden decreed an executive order on Jan. 26 condemning the wave of racism toward the Asian American Pacific Islander community. According to NBC news, the order issues guidance on how to better collect data and assist with the reporting of anti-Asian hate incidents.
