As the Black Lives Matter movement continues to spark protests around the globe, another one appears to be on the rise. Since the start of the pandemic, hate crimes against Asian Americans have dramatically risen fueling protests among many Asian communities. It is no wonder hate crimes are more prevalent, as the United States is still reeling from the effects of the Trump Administration. Terms such as the “Chinese Virus” used by impeached President Donald Trump particularly fueled these violent attacks.
However, racist attacks against the Asian community have been prevalent in the U.S. since at least the 19th century. President Franklin Roosevelt ordered the establishment of Japanese internment camps on February 19, 1942 by signing executive order 9066. Around the country, Japanese Americans were relocated to these internment camps – increasing the hatred against Asian communities.
A Japanese Internment Camp located in Tule Lake
Moving forward to the modern era, it is notable that with the spread of the pandemic and the effects of the Trump Administration that this animosity was not ignited but brought to light. The new movement, “Stop Asian Hate”, demonstrates the difference to take action rather than remain silent. Now, all that frustration led to the shooting of eight people, six of which were women of Asian descent, by a white male in Atlanta in mid-March.
A memorial for the eight people that lost their lives
And because of these past events, it has led to protest and marches all across the United States with the saying “Stop Asian Hate”. Advocates for all Asian Americans are taking a stand and they all say that the violence that is happening today is because of the rice of anti-Asian sentiment in the United States, that was started once again because of Ex-President Donald Trump. That is also the main reason why in Biden’s first week in office, he banned the use of hateful language and nicknames for the Coronavirus like the “China Virus” and the “Kung Flu”, which has not stopped organizations like Fox News to using those other names for COVID-19.
There have been over 4,000 anti-Asian racist incidents that have been recorded in the United States in the past year alone, that’s not even counting the times that were put under the table. This has sparked marches across all of the United States, to stand together as a united front, regardless of each other’s ethnic or racial background.
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