In the span of just one week back in January to February 2021, the following occurred:

A Thai man, 84, was fatally assaulted by a teen in San Francisco.

A Vietnamese grandmother, 64, was robbed during Lunar New Year in San Jose.

A Filipino-American man, 61, was slashed across the face, cheek to cheek, while taking the NYC subway.

Right now, violent, and even deadly, hate crimes are happening to Asians and Asian-Americans in the United States. NYPD data states that these assaults skyrocketed by 1,900% in the first three months of 2020. These hate crimes are linked to the pandemic because many have used Asians as scapegoats for COVID-19. What’s worse is that it’s likely that most of these attacks motivated by anti-Asian beliefs aren’t reported to the police, so there are more hate crimes occurring than what we find out about. 

What is the leading cause of this? The answer is simple: No one acknowledges the true story of an Asian-American.

People overlook the problems we have to deal with because people of Asian descent are put on a high pedestal above the others. This is the model minority myth. I’m sure you’ve heard these classic stereotypes before: Asians are smart. Asians are studious. Asians go to Ivy League schools. People accuse Asian-Americans of plaguing the U.S. and tell us to “go back to where we came from,” even though we were born here in America.

This model minority myth, a crazy and absolutely false idea created to undermine racial justice movements, suggests that Asians and Asian-Americans might not have to go through the same hardships as other ethnic minorities because of our law-abiding and hard-working nature. This contributes to the ignorance of the blatant racism we experience day-to-day because it’s obvious that if we were truly respected, we wouldn’t be assaulted or murdered daily. 

While I am happy that this issue of racial violence against Asians and Asian-Americans is getting more recognition, I am still frustrated. Why is it only now that these hate crimes are finally being recorded, written about, and shown to the world? These events are nothing new. The statistics for these attacks get erased and forgotten, leaving me and my people to grieve the pain and loss. 

We are tired of being made fun of for our eyes, of being told to go back to our country, of being labeled as ‘exotic.’ We are tired of our stereotypes casting us as one-dimensional characters. We are tired of our struggles being overlooked. 

Asians and Asian-Americans are always constantly thinking about how we can support and uplift other minority groups. We also need the support of others in the fight against racism.

Change can happen, and it must happen now. It is essential to listen to everyone’s stories and experiences and to learn from them. How can you help eliminate the stereotypes that are so deeply ingrained into our society? How can you become more actively anti-racist towards all groups of people? Stop living in a private bubble and expand your perspective. Once you get past the dark hindrance of ugly words and filthy lies, it’s child’s play to accept each other’s differences and move on with our day.

Continue to share accurate information and articles that amplify our voices to help spread awareness. It is imperative to listen to our experiences.

More resources:

https://stopaapihate.org/ – A center that tracks and acts upon hate incidents against Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S.

https://stopasianhate.carrd.co/ – A link full of resources to help support the Asian community

https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co/ – A link full of resources to help support the Asian community

https://www.standagainsthatred.org/ – Read people’s stories and experiences, a good way to start a conversation with family and friends