Cynthia Choi of Stop AAPI Hate and Chinese For Affirmative Action joins us to talk about scapegoating, the data collected on these verbal and physical attacks, and the pressing need for community-led, intersectional public safety initiatives.

In a troubling report released last month, Stop AAPI Hate said 126 of the incidents involved Asian Americans over the age of 60. “These violent assaults have a devastating impact on our community as they are part of an alarming rise in anti-Asian American hate during the COVID-19 pandemic,” co-founders of STOP AAPI Hate said in a February 9 statement.

California is one of the most linguistically diverse regions in the world nearly a year into the pandemic, that distinction continues to complicate attempts by state officials to disseminate critical information to all Californians. So far, the state provides materials in 18 languages and 10 indigenous dialects spoken in Latin America.

“Whenever there has been a public health crisis or an economic downturn, Asians and other communities have been the scapegoat,” explained CAA'sCynthia Choi, “and it really speaks to the status that we have as being forever foreigners, perpetual foreigners and perpetual potential threats.”

The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021,, if passed, would offer a pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants. “The good thing about this bill is that it is inclusive and it addresses the concerns of all immigrants,” said panelist Amy Lee, “whether they’re DACA recipients trying to apply for jobs, or immigrants trying to petition their siblings or parents in other countries to come to the United States.”

Amid a spike in racist attacks during the pandemic, storytellers have a responsibility to spotlight claims and support local leaders who can make a difference at the community level, the 'Daily Show' correspondent writes.

The recent incidents of anti-Asian violence in the Bay Area, in particular, highlight this: Some Asian-Americans were outraged by the violence and demanded justice, but since the perpetrators in these cases were Black, many others felt deeply uncomfortable with contributing to the criminalization of African-Americans.

A spate of pandemic-era violence has shined a light on anti-Asian bias, stoking concerns of division between two minority communities. Organizers in the Bay Area's Asian and Black communities have been quick to denounce this rhetoric and call for solidarity.

Celebrities, creatives, and members of the fashion industry are speaking out to raise awareness about the recent uptick in hate crimes targeting the Asian community in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Using the hashtag #StopAsianHate, social media users are sharing their own experiences with racism or calling on their followers to speak up and stand up for those who are affected by and vulnerable to racist violence, especially the elderly.

Though EDD does have resources designed to support applicants who speak languages other than English or Spanish, its systems are often so overloaded that people who need this support can’t consistently access it. And the ID.me platform — which EDD implemented to help automate its verification process and unclog the bottlenecks — has created added barriers for families without easy access to certain technologies.