Hate crimes against Asian American communities continue to grow, it has been over a year since the pandemic has been declared a state of national emergency and the violence towards Asian Americans has continued into 2021. According to the Los Angeles Times, since the start of the pandemic Anti-Asian hate crimes have gone up 1900 percent. As cases started rising, so did fear and racism in communities. There are multiple ways you can help the Asian community.

Sign Petitions

Just a simple signing of a petition can go a long way, there are hundreds of petitions. The petitions are aiming at trying to stop the violence and get justice for the Asians who were attacked. There are multiple ways you can find petitions to sign, Google it. An easier way is by going on social media, like Instagram, and searching the hashtag #StopAsianHate or #HateIsAVirus.
“Asian hate crimes are a thing, and it cannot be ignored. My skin is not a virus, I shouldn’t have to fear walking on the streets going to the grocery store,” East High alumni Soe Meh said.
Famous brands such as Nike, Adidas and The North Face are standing with Asians. Many other streaming channels are also standing with the Asian community like ESPN and the NBA. These big brands are encouraging others on being aware of the situation and donating to stop the violence.

Educate

We must educate ourselves and others during a time like this. The increase in violent crimes targeting Asians, particularity the elderly, is frustrating and saddening. COVID-19 is not called “Kungflu” or the “China/Chinese virus”; all Asians aren’t “Chinese” we must educate others and encourage others to read books like “Minor feelings” by Cathy Park Hong or “The Joy Club” by Amy Tan. Other ways on educating others are by going on the news, websites, reading articles, and just looking it up on a social media platform you use every day.
Asia is the largest continent in the planet, with over 50 countries and over a thousand different languages.
“We need to educate others about Asians – Asia is a big continent, and many people think every Asian [person] is Chinese,” senior Sujata Bajgai said.
This proves how little people are educated about Asia and the people who live and are from there.

Share

Discrimination and racism against Asians is rising in the US and a lot of people aren’t aware of it. The reason is because American media doesn’t cover content like this. So many incidents go unreported and many of us aren’t aware of what is going on. Share posts on social media, read articles and amplify your voice.
Some high profiling cases in Oakland is a 91-year-old Chinese man was assaulted and push to the ground, in San Francisco, an 84-year-old Thai elder was shoved to the ground and later died. Another case in San Francisco is a 64-year-old grandmother was robbed in broad daylight.
“They’re just targeting people of color even though they are saying it is going to end, it is not. If we’re being honest, racism is a thing that never is going to stop [and] it’s just going to continue,” senior Saham Salim said.
Together we must all unite, we are all human. No one should ever feel guilty about what color their skin is.

Listen up

We need to listen to learn. It is important to listen to others when they are affected by an issue. Listen to AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islanders) about their problems and feelings. If you see something speak up, your voice can go a long way.
“If you see something, say something. Listen to your POC (person/people of color) it is hard being a victim and speaking up to someone about the trauma that has happened that they never thought would happen,” Meh said.
People of color all experience racism differently, but we all share the same agendas and goals to overcome racism.
“Listen to others when injustice is happening towards them, it is not towards everybody. A white person does not have to be scared to go on the street, but Asians are,” Bajgai said.