America is called a “salad bowl,” for its diverse nature. People of every culture, ethnicity, religion, and nationality reside in the US. From Native Americans to Asian Americans, and everything in between, they all have their distinct culture. Yet they live in America as one.
However, the country doesn’t hold the same values as it once did. The land of opportunities has grown into a land of hate. With every passing day, hate crimes in America are on the rise. But the question is who’s to blame?
There already is enough tension in America when it comes to race. The Black Lives Matter movement. However, a recent study shows that hate crimes against Asians and Asian Americans are rapidly on the rise.
Why is Hate Crimes Against Asian Americans Rising?
Hate crimes against Asians and Asian Americans started promptly after the 9/11 attacks. The way Americans viewed Asians, especially Muslims and Middle Easterns was unacceptable to a large extent.
However, Donald Trump’s “Muslim Travel Ban,” fueled the fire that was already damaging. But now, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, hate crimes against Asian Americans, especially East Asians have skyrocketed.
More than 2,500 anti-Asian hate crime reports have been filed between March and September 2020. And the number is alarmingly growing across the country.
Big cities like New York and San Francisco have become the epicenter of such hate crimes. Several videos of Asians, especially elders being violently attacked in public places are rapidly surfacing on the internet. And it raises a lot of concern.
In New York alone, there were 259 reports of anti-Asian hate crime incidents last year. Along with verbal harassment, reports of physical assault as well as people coughing and spitting on Asian Americans are rapidly increasing.
The Growing Incidents of Hate Crimes.
The data of New York shows how Asian Americans are the target, especially in transportation-related incidents. Compared to other regions, activities, like not accepting Asian American customers in taxis and ride-sharing apps, were growing immensely.
At least 24 cases of coronavirus-related hate crimes against Asian Americans were reported in New York in 2020. It was especially surprising as such a category did not exist in the past. Asians are being robbed, attacked physically and verbally, and blamed for the pandemic.
In-person threats are one thing, but there is also an increasing number of online incidents. However, these incidents remain unreported due to their nature. Since they’re not an individual attack, instead it comes more under hate speech.
If you turn the pages of history, rationalizing racism and xenophobia in the midst of a disease outbreak is pretty common. However, according to NYPD statistics, in just over a year, hate crimes against Asian Americans have seen an eightfold increase.
Influencers Raise Their Voices.
Amid the growing hate crimes, prominent Asian American figures from across different platforms are raising their voices. People like designers Prabal Gurung, Phillip Lim, etc have posted on social media raising awareness about the ongoing issue. And they’re demanding the government to take immediate action against it.
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Also Read: Black History Month: Celebrating the Significance of Black Culture
