Since the spread of the Covid-19 virus, Anti-Asian hate crimes increased by over 150% in 2020. President Donald Trump coined the term ‘China Virus’ during his presidency, and it seems as if racially motivated attacks are cropping up in the news more and more often. Last year, a group of Asian people were violently targeted at a Rotorua spa, and this month eight women (including six Asian women) were killed in a shooting in Georgia, USA. Just a few days ago, a 65-year-old Asian woman was pushed to the ground in NYC and kicked repeatedly in the head while a security guard watched.
There is no doubt that the Asian community has been increasingly targeted as a result of the pandemic, and in NZ where they are additionally scapegoated for the country’s housing crisis. The ‘Stop Asian Hate’ movement is steadily gaining ground around the world as a result. A rally took place in Auckland on 27 March, and anyone on social media will have seen a boost in the sharing of material designed to educate people on how to actively reject the racism Asian people regularly face.
Because I am white and therefore incapable of truly grasping the meaning of this movement in its entirety, I thought I could compile a list of resources that we can all use to better educate ourselves on what exactly Asian people are fighting for, and how other ethnic communities can help in the battle:
Resources to Educate
RNZ, Rally protests against anti-Asian violence, abuse in US and NZ
RNZ, Crowds gather to support Asian-American community after killings
NBC News, String of attacks against older Asians leaves big city Chinatowns on edge
New York Times, Spit On, Yelled At, Attacked: Chinese-Americans fear for their safety
National Geographic, America’s long history of scapegoating its Asian citizens
#UnityOverFear petition to denounce racist attacks on Asian-Australians:
Donate
GoFundMe, Stop Asian Hate: Together, We Can Make a Difference
GoFundMe, Asian Women Alliance
DonateNow, Hate is a Virus
Asian Mental Health Collective, Therapist Directory
Social media to follow
@HateIsAVirus
Asian Women Alliance
@MSGApproved (NZ based)
Chiara Ireland