The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a global surge in harassment and hate crimes against individuals of Asian descent, including Asian Americans
“Over 60% of Asian Americans witnessed someone blaming Asian people, and over 80% of 10- to 18-year-old Chinese Americans experienced or witnessed COVID-19-related discrimination in person or online.”
View the Society for Research in Child Development Report (September 2020)
We Stand in Grief and Solidarity with the Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities
“We are horrified and grieving at the increase in anti- Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) violence in the United States. This week’s targeting of Asian American owned businesses in Atlanta, Georgia, and the murder of eight individuals, six of whom were Asian/Asian American women, has brought the sorrow and anger to the fore. The misogyny of this recent attack also reminds us of the intersectionality of race, gender, and class and how Asian women are often problematically perceived and treated as fetishized sexual objects. We write in solidarity, standing against anti-AAPI racism. We also stand against racism against Black, Indigenous, Latinx, immigrant, and sexual/gender and religious minority communities. And we seek to help SRCD become an actively anti-racist association.”
“What can we do?
First, we must make clear that we stand in solidarity against racism directed to the AAPI community and against all forms of discrimination against other minoritized communities. Second, we can use science to inform how we comfort and communicate with children and youth about the racist and misogynist violence that occurred in Atlanta. Third, as families and children resume in-person activities at child care centers, schools, and after-school programs, we can use evidence-informed decision-making to guide staff in in how to prevent, or if necessary, address incidents of racism in these settings. Finally, we must use history and science to proactively guide families and children reentering these contexts in being prepared to respond to and address racism that children witness or experience directly.
Martha J. Zaslow, Interim Executive Director
Kenneth A. Dodge, President
Nancy E. Hill, President-Elect”
Society for Research in Child Development. View full report here.
Although some of us were aware that racism directed to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders began to increase around the start of the pandemic, startling data presented for the Congressional hearing present a picture that causes us great concern:
Did You Know?
- “During 2020, an increase of 149% in anti-AAPI hate crimes was documented in 16 major U.S. cities.
- Between March 19, 2020 to February 28, 2021, 3,795 incidents were reported to the organization Stop AAPI Hate. While reported incidents are undoubtedly an undercount of the total number of incidents, they help to illustrate the range and severity of experiences: 68% involved verbal harassment, 21% involved shunning, 11% involved physical assault and 9% involved civil rights violations, such as workplace discrimination or refusal of service. Women reported hate incidents 2.3 times more than men.
- Asian Americans were more likely than other groups to indicate that they had experienced slurs or jokes because of their race or ethnicity since the start of the pandemic, with 31% reporting such experiences, according to a June 2020 poll conducted by the Pew Research Center.”
What is the Media’s Role in Combating Hate and Violence Towards Asians and Pacific Islanders?
Countering stereotypes about Asian Americans
Asian Americans are often overlooked in discussions of racial bias in the United States. Now, psychologists and other researchers are working to change that. View article on countering stereotypes here (APA, 2019).
apicunc.org 