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How to Support Asian Americans Facing Violence Because of Covid-19 Misinformation
An urgent reminder that baselessly racializing the virus has dire consequences
“Anti-Asian violence and abuse has sharply increased since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, especially toward vulnerable groups including the elderly, the youth, and women. Even Asian-American health care workers working to beat the coronavirus have not been spared from the abuse. This is largely due to the mischaracterization of Covid-19 as the “Chinese virus,” “Asian virus,” or “kung flu” by many people, including Donald Trump, who also promoted the idea that the coronavirus was leaked by a Chinese lab. This week, World Health Organization scientists reconfirmed that the virus was not released by a lab and has a natural origin, as experts had asserted previously.
It bears repeating that Covid-19 does not discriminate by race: It can infect anyone and be transmitted by anyone. It will take global cooperation to beat it.” — Yasmin Tayag
None of us are safe until we are all safe. Read Tayag’s entire story below.
