Anti-Asian Racism and Racialization of Epidemics

The initial proliferation of the novel coronavirus (SARS CoV-2) in the United States coincided with a sharp uptick in reports of public racial abuse of “Asian-looking” individuals, bullying of Asian-American children in schools, defacement and/or vandalism of Asian-American homes, and a general sense of epidemic-laced xenophobia.

This article by SHAUNAK SASTRY, PH.D., AND ZHUO BAN, PH.D. draws on the authors’ experiences participating in a WeChat group populated by Asian-American parents in a suburban school district and dedicated to being a virtual neighborhood watch, a space where members of this small community could call on one another for help if they were facing COVID-19 related racist attacks.

It complements reports of Asian-American discrimination and harassment across the country, including studies by the Pew Research Center (and here, here, and here) and accounts of others previously posted on immigrationprof blog.

MHC