Report by Asian-American youth about their experiences, shows that nearly 80 percent are angry about racism; recommendations for schools provided
September 17, 2020— Asian Americans are experiencing increased racism during COVID-19, according to two reports released today by Stop AAPI Hate and the Stop AAPI Hate Youth Campaign. Together, both reports provide a comprehensive look at the impact of racism and xenophobia against Asian-American youth during the COVID-19 pandemic and provide key recommendations to decrease discrimination in schools.
The report They Blamed Me Because I Am Asian was written and analyzed by the Youth Campaign, a group of 87 high school interns, based on nearly 1,000 interviews that they conducted with AAPI youth this summer to explore how young people are coping with the rise in racism. The Stop AAPI Hate report, written by experts, analyzes 341 incidents of anti-Asian discrimination involving youth reported to the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center from March 19 – July 22, 2020.
Findings from the 990 interviews in They Blamed Me Because I Am Asian show that eight out of 10 Asian American youth (77 percent) expressed anger over the current anti-Asian hate in this nation, and six out of 10 (60 percent) are disappointed over the racism. Incidents of harassment focused on blaming China and Chinese people as the source of the virus and on mocking Chinese dietary habits.
- “My classmate said that the pandemic is due to poor decision-making by Chinese people (referring to their eating bats) and aimed this comment at me because I was the only Asian student at that table. They also stated that pandemics and global issues are always the fault of Chinese people.” (15-year-old)
- “When I took the BART, I sat next to a lady. Immediately, she leaned away, covered her face with her shirt, and kept glancing/glaring at me. She only acted this way when I was near her. At the next stop, she moved seats.” (17-year-old)
“Anti-AAPI racism and discrimination have had many impacts on me personally. Seeing the way my friends and family have been and continue to be treated makes my blood boil,” said Stop AAPI Hate Youth Campaign intern Beth Yeung. “That’s why I want to educate those around me on how to intervene and stand up.”
“The constant feeling that I must have a heightened awareness of my surroundings whenever my family and I go outside made me feel vulnerable,” said Stop AAPI Hate Youth Campaign intern Cassie Eng. “As a young Asian American, the rise in anti-Asian sentiments are on my mind often.”
The Stop AAPI Hate report, in turn, looks at 341 incidents reported by youth, with 24 involving physical assault. In over half (56 percent) of these cases, perpetrators employed anti-Chinese hate speech, including blaming China and Chinese as the source of the virus and mocking Chinese dietary habits. Even though adults were present in almost half of the incidents (48 percent), bystanders intervened in only 10 percent of the cases.
- “I was sprayed with a body spray by a white kid who commented, ‘the Coronavirus.’ Shortly thereafter, he headbutted me and caused my head to strike a wall.” (13, New Kent, VA)
- “Some guys from my high school whom I did not know followed me home in their car. They honked very loudly at me, pulled up next to me, and when I looked up, they threw things at me from their car, pretended to cough on me, and said ‘Ching chong! You have Chinese virus!’ Then they drove away, rolling up their windows.” (14, Dallas, TX)
The Stop AAPI Hate report offers six recommendations to address anti-Asian racism in schools, informed by They Blamed Me Because I Am Asian and by input from community and research experts:
- Intervene and investigate promptly and equitably all allegations and any form of harassment, particularly that targeting female students.
- Provide anti-racism training for teachers and administrators specifically addressing the current rise in anti-Asian hate and stereotypes of AAPI students. Integrate with social-emotional learning.
- Develop school-wide, anti-bullying policies, including a defined online policy, that encourage safe and accessible reporting systems and restorative justice approaches.
- Implement Ethnic Studies throughout the curriculum, so students learn the historic roots and impacts of racism, develop agency and empathy, and commit to racial solidarity and justice.
- Provide AAPI students with culturally sustaining and responsive wellness services.
- Empower AAPI students through affinity groups, student coalitions, and collective action toward educational and racial equity.
“Now that most schools have reopened, combating racism against Asian-American students requires ongoing planning and action,” said Cynthia Choi, co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, and Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council.“It’s vital schools employ these recommendations now to prevent discrimination and racism from being normalized in the classroom.”
“We have two pandemics in this country: COVID-19, and racism. And it breaks my heart that so many of our Asian American and Pacific Islander youth and families have been subject to demeaning, discriminatory attacks,” said Tony Thurmond, state superintendent of public instruction. “I have charged my team to lead anti-racism and implicit bias training for educators across California, and Stop AAPI Hate’s framework is a valuable resource that can help us put an end to racism against Asian Americans now.”
“All Asian Americans are being hit hard by the groundswell of anti-Asian rhetoric promoted by our president, but youth are particularly vulnerable,” said Dr. Russell Jeung, Professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University. “The hate Asian-American youths are facing could cause irreparable damage to their self-identity and social relationships. The Youth Campaign taught our youth how to disarm hate through conducting research, analyzing data, and advocating for policies that will improve their lives.”
The Stop AAPI Hate Youth Campaign was created when students at the Urban School of San Francisco wanted a way to actively engage in the movement for racial justice. Their initiative quickly became a national campaign as 87 high school interns soon signed up to increase youth reporting to Stop AAPI Hate. The campaign is funded by the Jeremy Lin Foundation.
“One of the things that most concerns me about the rising anti-Asian racism during this pandemic is how it will affect the next generation of Asian Americans and their sense of self-worth,” said Jeremy Lin. “The Jeremy Lin Foundation wanted to support Stop AAPI Hate to help empower more Asian-American youth to speak up for themselves and fight against racism. The students’ thoughtfulness and willingness to engage with these issues inspire me.”
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The Stop AAPI Hate reporting center was founded by the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON), Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) and San Francisco State University’s Asian American Studies Department.
The Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON) is a coalition of more than forty community-based organizations that serve and represent the 1.5 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the greater Los Angeles area, with a particular focus on low-income, immigrant, refugee and other vulnerable populations.
Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) was founded in 1969 to protect the civil and political rights of Chinese Americans and to advance multiracial democracy in the United States. Today, CAA is a progressive voice in and on behalf of the broader Asian American and Pacific Islander community. We advocate for systemic change that protects immigrant rights, promotes language diversity, and remedies racial and social injustice.
The Jeremy Lin Foundation is a 501 c3 non-profit organization. 100% of the proceeds donated to the Jeremy Lin Foundation will go to supporting non-profit organizations that are making an impact in the lives of children and youth and their communities.
