Testimonies of Anti-Asian Assaults, Harassment, and Hate Crimes Rise as Coronavirus Spreads in the United States

• In Event: Healing the Body and Healing the Soul: Testimonies of Asian and Asian Americans' Experience of Anti-Asian Racism in the United States

Abstract

We live in a historical moment where white supremacy, racism, xenophobia, misogyny, homobophia, transphobia, islamophobia and settler colonialism are animated by an emboldened hatred of the difference of minoritized communities (He & Yu, 2017; Hill, 2016; Ngo & Lee, 2019). We can easily be enveloped in oppression, hopelessness and powerlessness. Since the spread of the COVID-19 virus, racist sentiments against Asians have increased exponentially. Asian people (some not even of Chinese heritage) around the world have reported harassment, with some cases even escalating to physical violence. Racist analogies of the coronavirus have trended on and off social media—largely due to Trump’s use of terms such as “Chinese flu” “kung flu.” The following are some of the major facts, but not alternative ones, which illustrate unprecedented racist sentiments against Asians have increased:

July 31 – Bronx, NY: A man was arrested after harassing an Asian woman on the subway. The man reportedly spat on the woman and yelled at her, "Asians caused the virus!" and "Go back to China! Go back to Manhattan!" (Source: New York Daily News)
July 18: An Asian American restaurant owner says he was attacked by a man who refused to comply with the restaurant's health measures. The man allegedly told the restaurant owner, "Fuck you and your chinky ass policy" and told him to "Go back to China, you COVID ass.” (Source: NextShark)
June 17 – Wyckoff, NJ: A Chinese restaurant was vandalized with graffiti that read, "coronavirus" and "COVID-19." (Source: NorthJersey.com)
June 14 – Newark, DE: Fliers targeting Asian and Asian American students were found at off-campus housing at the University of Delaware, Newark. The flyers included the message "Kill China Virus." (Source: WDEL)
June 13 – Queens, NY: A man at a Bayside 7-Eleven made anti-Asian remarks regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and then verbally harassed an Asian customer whom he also allegedly pushed. (Source: NY Daily News)
June 6 – Denver, CO: Two Asian American people were verbally accosted while walking on the street by a woman who told them they "smell like shit" and "You guys are all disgusting! You all!" (Source: Reported to ADL)
May 23 – Seattle, WA: A man harassed Asian people at a park and an Asian woman in her car, saying, “Where are you from…where is your ID?”, and “Chinese disease…they bring it here!” Later, the man allegedly yelled anti-Asian remarks inside an Asian restaurant. (Source: King 5)
May 22 – San Leandro, CA: A woman was arrested after posting handwritten fliers on homesthat read, in part, “If you are a woman or man and was born in other country, return, go back to your land immediately, fast, with urgency" and “In this place, no Asians allowed." (Source: SF Gate)
May 15 – New York, NY: An Asian woman was verbally harassed by fellow subway passenger for not wearing her mask "properly." The passenger yelled at the victim, "You fucking Chinese don't speak English! Go back to China!" She also slapped the victim's phone away. (Source: NY Daily News)

Authors

• Ming Fang He, Georgia Southern University

• Ru Li, Georgia Southern University