Acts of White Supremacy Against Asians and How You Can Help

After the mass shooting in Atlanta and many other instances of racially motivated attacks against Asian and Pacific Islander’s (API), many Americans are eager to support this community.

By ANNIE PHAM and JOIE KIM

April 20, 2021, 12:51 PM

Wolfpack Press--Content Warning: This article contains mentions of violence and hate crimes.

“8 Dead in Atlanta Spa Shootings, With Fears of Anti-Asian Bias”; “Asian Man in Critical Condition After Another Attack in New York City”; “There Were 3,800 Anti-Asian Racist Incidents, Mostly Against Asian Women, in the Past Year”. Americans are no stranger to the news of hate crimes against Asians. What has sparked the supposed increase of anti-Asian attacks?

The occurrence of anti-Asian rhetoric and actions can be attributed to the Chinese Exclusion Act, anti-Japanese suspicion during World War II, the model minority myth, sinophobia, and white supremacy. More deeply, the cooperation of white supremacy, economic inequality in the capitalist system, misogyny, xenophobia, and imperialism have enabled these acts of everyday violence that target one of America’s valuable communities.

Documented occurrences of anti-Asian attacks are shown to display Asians being physically attacked, and often, being told that “they don’t belong here” or should “go back to their country”.

Besides anti-Asian hate as a whole, Asian women endure a unique experience that leaves them susceptible to both racism and misogyny. With the fetishization of Asian women--coined, “yellow fever”--, Asian women being used to satisfy fantasies of supposed submissiveness and left subject to objectification, Asian women are a group within the API community that experience more than one kind of oppression. Further, as Asian women immigrate to the United States with limited employment opportunities, some have to play into the fetishization and submit themselves to arduous sex work in order to make a living.

Despite the apparent rise of anti-Asian attacks, keep in mind that underreporting of racially motivated attacks in the Asian and Pacific Islander community is prevalent.

Solving the issue of white supremacy aimed at the API community involves complex institutional change. However, a very easy and feasible way to reduce the harm is by distributing money to organizations that seek to protect API’s.

Here is how you can support the API community:

• Instagram account, @RedCanarySong is a grassroots organization that works with immigrant and Asian sex workers in NYC; https://www.redcanarysong.net/

• The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum supports Asian immigrant women; https://www.napawf.org/donate

• CAAAV: a pan-Asian, community-based organization that helps low-income immigrants and refugees in New York City; https://caaav.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2

• Asian Mental Health Collective: a community that aims to destigmatize mental health in the API community and make mental health resources accessible; https://www.asianmhc.org/about-us/#donate

Along with financial support, it is crucial to make sure that the Asian individuals near you feel supported; however, be careful not to overstep or develop a saviorism attitude towards anti-Asian hate crimes. While the responses by Asian people may seem overexaggerated or odd to some, it is important to always keep in mind that oppressed communities should not be policed on how they react to oppression.

Deeply rooted causes of anti-Asian attacks and rhetoric may leave some feeling helpless and pessimistic, but it is crucial that the fight against racism towards Asians—and all marginalized groups for that matter—be continued until the problem is no longer.