On Tuesday, March 17, a white man, Robert Aaron Long, carried out three shootings at Asian-run spa and massage parlors in the Atlanta, Georgia area, resulting in the deaths of eight people. Prior to this event, in late February, a 36-year-old Asian man was walking in New York City’s Chinatown when he was stabbed from behind. Similarly, at a subway station in Annandale, Virginia, an Asian-American woman was verbally and physically attacked by a man on an escalator.
These three attacks are not a coincidence, and they barely scratch the surface of a much bigger problem. As we have gone well-past the one year mark since COVID-19 shocked the world, it has become increasingly clear that the number of hate crimes against Asian-American and Pacific Islander individuals has dramatically increased.
Stop AAPI Hate, an association that was created in response to the rising xenophobia against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders since the start of the pandemic found that there were roughly 3,800 reports of discriminatory incidents since March of 2020, including physical attacks, the hurling of slurs, and complete ostracization. They believe that were likely many more attacks that went unreported.
Women made up a much larger percentage of individuals who reported these incidents, as the number of respondents who identify as a woman stood at 68 percent, while respondents who identified as a man stood at 29 percent.
This extreme rise in anti-Asian hate crimes is ultimately indicative of the racism and xenophobia that is housed in the hearts of many people. Additionally, when factoring in the number of women who are on the receiving end of these assaults, it becomes clear that misogyny and the fetishization of Asian women lead to total dehumanization. Not only are these women seen as objects that can be easily attacked and targeted, but their mere existence is used as a justification to be assaulted.
The issue lies not only within individual bias and generalizations of the Asian community but also within the collective force that oppresses all minorities– white supremacy. Not only is white supremacy the reason why the responsibility of these attacks is often placed on other minority groups, but it is also the reason why 21-year-old Long can be referred to as a kid who had a bad day.
White supremacy is lethal; it is a plague that has taken the lives of countless men and women. Therefore, it is important that we amplify the voices of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, and stand together to achieve justice for those whose lives were stolen.
Do not use this time to be silent, and remember that activism is not activism when it is not intersectional.