Start Asian Love is a safe space that educates and consolidates resources related to Asian racism, Asian American history, and the Stop Asian Hate movement. Through these resources we hope to raise awareness and encourage you to join the fight and support Asian Americans.
Since the beginning of the pandemic there has been an increase in the number of hate incidents and crimes against Asian Americans. While some have been prosecuted as hate crimes, others have not because it’s hard to prove racist intent. Then there are incidents that have not resulted in official charges at all, such as verbal harassment or coughing/spitting.
3,795
That’s the number of incidents received by the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center from March 19, 2020 to February 28, 2021.
Unfortunately, it’s not all. The group notes in their report that this number represents “only a fraction of the number of hate incidents that actually occur”, with the full report showing “how vulnerable Asian Americans are to discrimination, and the types of discrimination they face”.
149%
That’s the surge of anti-Asian hate crimes from 2019 compared to 2020 as reported by The Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University.
The report also pinpoints the first spike “occurring in March and April amidst a rise in COVID cases and negative stereotyping of Asians relating to the pandemic”. This increase happened while overall hate crimes dropped by 7%.
So what can we do? Anti-Asian hate won't disappear overnight, and neither will racism as a whole. But what we can do is support, learn, and celebrate each other for our differences and similarities. Know that you are not alone and that by consciously making the choice to choose love instead of hate you are helping combat hate.
