Look, I know it’s annoying and tiring, what with our xenophobic, racist, capitalist, and ableist world and its nonstop injustices and grievances. But as a Chinese-American woman who’s experienced my fair share of verbal harassment for my race and gender, I’d really appreciate it if you would take a moment to read and reflect about the anti-AAPI hate crimes taking place not just recently, but since before the beginning of the pandemic. It’s too easy to sweep these things under the rug in the interest of attending to more urgent crises and social justice movements, but the AAPI community shouldn’t be an afterthought in the big picture of things, especially marginalized groups within this group, including working class, sex workers, those who don’t fit into so-called “model minority”. Credits to Dear Asian Youth on IG. I haven’t seen it shared on Tumblr yet, but maybe it has already; either way, it would be nice if you could reblog it as well. If you’d rather not read, feel free to keep scrolling but unfollow me first. Image ID at the end.
Image 1: On March 16th, a gunman murdered 8 people at several Asian-run massage spas in Atlanta. Six of the victims were Asian women. CW: violence, mass shooting, racism, death
Image 2: What happened: At 4:50 PM, the first shooting occurred at Young’s Asian Massage in Acworth, where four people were murdered. Around 5:47 PM, Atlanta police responded to another shooting that occurred at Gold Spa, where they found three women shot. While at the scene, police received a report of shots fired at Aromatherapy Spa, where the body of another woman was found.
The police later arrested the shooter in Crisp County at approximately 8:00 PM, who later told law enforcement that he has a “sexual addiction.”
Image 3: Fetishization: Cherokee County sheriff Jay Baker reduced the shooting to the perpetrator having a “really bad day” because he wanted to “eliminate” a “temptation” from his “sexual addiction.”
This justification stems from “yellow fever”, an outdated and racist ideology that objectifies and fetishizes Asian women and contributes to the dehumanization of sex workers. Yellow fever promotes the belief that Asian women are exotic, submissive, and docile.
Comments like “love you long time” and “happy ending” continue to stigmatize, fetishize, and downplay violence against Asian women.
Image 4: Despite evidence of racial bias, many publicized attacks during the pandemic have not been treated as hate crimes, leaving many in the AAPI community to believe that anti-Asian violence is not being taken seriously. These crimes are rooted in racism and hatred towards Asian communities. CALL IT A HATE CRIME.
Image 5: RISE IN ANTI-ASIAN HATE CRIMES: Stop AAPI Hate recently released its latest national report, which shows that 3,795 anti-Asian hate incidents have been recorded from March 2020 to February 2021. A majority of these incidents (68%) were reported by women.
The increase in anti-Asian sentiment can be partially attributed to the widespread use of terms such as “Kung Flu,” “Chinese Virus,” and “Wuhan Virus” by high-profile officials such as former U.S. President Donald Trump. Many continue to use these terms, despite how it has instigated harassment and violence toward the Asian community.
Image 6: A GLOBAL ISSUE: The rise in anti-Asian hate crimes is not a uniquely American issue. In countries with significant Asian populations such as Canada and the United Kingdom, hate crimes against Asians are also increasing.
Canada: In Vancouver, hate crimes against Asian Canadians rose by 717%. Hate crimes in Ottawa increased by 57%, with most of the victims being of East or Southeast Asian descent. Montreal reported a spike of 30 hate crimes and racist acts specifically targeting Asians.
UK: The UK has seen a 300% increase in hate crimes targeting East and Southeast Asians since the start of the pandemic. Anti-Asian hate crimes have increased after every lockdown period, rising from 261 to 395 per month between April and June 2020.
Image 7: WHAT CAN YOU DO? Check the tagged accounts! Share this post to raise awareness. Share resources and informative posts on social media:
· Safety Tips from Stop AAPI Hate
· Stay Safe from Hate booklet by the Asian American Federation
· National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, Georgia Chapter
· Asian American Advocacy Fund (AASF)
· Butterfly, an Asian and migrant sex workers network
Check in and support your Asian friends. Use your voice to uplift and amplify the AAPI community.
Image 8: Attend Bystander Intervention Training from Hollaback! & AAJC and call out microaggressions and racist jokes.
Follow Asian news and activists
Support working class Asian families by supporting their businesses
· CalHOPE emotional support hotline: 833-317-HOPE
· National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) (nqapia.org)
· Asian Mental Health Collective (asianmhc.org)
We demand more than solidarity. We want solutions.
· NPR: 8 People, Many of Them Asian, Shot Dead At Atlanta-Area Massage Parlors; Man Arrested
· AP News: Georgia massage parlor shootings leave 8 dead; man captured
· Huffington Post: In 2021, Asian Canadians Document Hate Crimes To Be Believed
· NBC News: Anti-Asian hate crimes increased by nearly 150% in 2020, mostly in NY and LA, new report says
· STOP AAPI HATE NATIONAL REPORT
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