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.

Since the start of the pandemic, hate crimes against Asian Americans have been on the rise. Daily Show Correspondent Ronny Chieng explains to Trevor Noah how you can help stop this wave of violence.

"It is up to all of us -- businesses, the government, and community partners -- to come together and immediately support victims and families affected by these incidents, and work together to create long-lasting solutions that empower our communities with resources, support and education,” the co-founders of Stop AAPI Hate said in a statement.

Banquet halls have played a core role in the Chinatown economy, from providing new immigrants with starter jobs to sourcing from local vendors. Another Lunar New Year in a pandemic, the question on the minds of many in Chinatown is what will be left when the pandemic finally ends and people come out of isolation clamoring to socialize?

Cynthia Choi of Stop AAPI Hate said one reason the number of hate incidents are high in California overall is because the state has "large concentrations of Asian American communities." But she also said these numbers are likely an undercount.

Thanks to the pandemic, this was always going to be a subdued Lunar New Year in the San Francisco Bay Area. Instead of street fairs and packed crowds, mass gatherings are out of the question. Shops have been closing earlier and earlier in recent weeks, and police are being deployed to Chinatowns in the region in greater numbers. Everyone is on guard—not just against the coronavirus, but against violence.