“Stop AAPI Hate” Combats Discrimination

Hate crimes against AAPI community on the rise.

**Hate crimes against the AAPI community have risen dramatically since 2020.**
Photo courtesy of Stop AAPI Hate

When the spread of COVID-19 was starting back in March 2020, hate crimes rose against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). According to Time, the NYPD has reported a 1,900% increase of hate crimes against Asian Americans. Many people have targeted AAPIs because of this myth that Asians spread the disease to the world. People from different Asian backgrounds and ages have been assaulted and targeted by fear of others.

To combat this tension, an organization called “Stop AAPI Hate” was created. This organization is a coalition of many people, including educators, nonprofits, and organizers who are passionate about this social issue. Some of their goals for the AAPI community are to offer resources to members of the community impacted by hate, give powers to those in need of help with justice, and advocate human and civil rights on a state and national level.

On their website, people are allowed to report incidents they went through or another person went through. Incidents may include physical assault, shunning, and even workplace discrimination. Their website also provides ways for people to cope with hate against themselves or against other people. This can be applied to many different situations, not just hate against AAPIs.

Many people have been vocal about this issue on social media outlets. NBA player Jeremy Lin spoke about this issue on his Facebook page:

“Something is changing in this generation of Asian Americans. We are tired of Asian American kids growing up and being asked where they’re REALLY from, of having our eyes mocked, of being objectified as exotic or being told we’re inherently unattractive.” This is not the first time Lin touched on this issue. During Trump’s presidency, Lin criticized the former president for calling COVID the “Chinese Flu,” which led to racist memes and hostile attitudes towards Asians outside and inside the United States.

CU Denver’s own students have been speaking out on this issue. Students have been reposting content to let people be more aware of this discrimination taking place. Ruolin Wu, a senior, commented on this recent movement. When asked about the impacts of discrimination, she thought it was dehumanizing for people to say racist things online: “I do see [discrimination] on social media that people are sharing like, ‘stop eating things that you can’t put in your mouth.’ I think hate crimes are the worst against Chinese people. The thing I would like people to know about the hate crimes against Asian Americans is that haters are going to hate.”

Since the Black Lives Matter movement last year, many people have been conscious of inequality towards people of color. Some people on social media have been connecting this movement with the one last year. People are realizing marginalized communities need help, and this movement will let people see the inequalities that still exist.

This is a selection from the March 24 issue. To view the full issue, visit: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/824791066/