Anti-Asian Hate in the United States during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This essay, based on a 2022 plenary presentation at the International Society for the Study of Overseas Chinese conference, details the state of anti-Asian American racism from 2020 through 2022. First, it describes the nature and extent of the discrimination. While the media presented the issue as one of hate crimes, the vast majority of hate incidents involved verbal harassment and shunning/avoidance. Second, it reviews the sources of the surge in racism. Political rhetoric and social media re-ignited Yellow Peril fears, leading to the scapegoating of Asians in the US for COVID-19. Third, it considers the traumatizing impact of this spate of racism. In particular, Asian Americans have suffered severe economic distress, have borne the disproportionate brunt of exclusionary public policies, and have been traumatized by the violence of the past three years. The essay concludes with how the Asian American community has resisted with the largest panethnic movement in its history.