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Photo: Getty Images / David Dee Delgado
The recentAtlanta shooting spreethat left eight people dead, including six Asian women, has devastated Asian communities around the country, marking a full year in which Asians have been targeted with a tremendous amount of open bigotry.
Bias against Asians in America captured media attention in 2020, as the pandemic began blazing across the world. People started avoiding Chinatowns and Asian restaurants, illogically blaming them for the virus and crippling their businesses. And since then, there’s been an uptick of harassment and physical attacks against Asian people, with the elderly often being victimized. According toStop AAPI Hate, there have been 3,800 reported incidents of hate crimes against Asians since last March, though hate crimes are likely woefully underreported.
But let’s be clear: this bias and “othering” of Asians and Asian Americans has long existed in the United States—from the state-sanctioned racism of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and Japanese internment camps during World War II, to media caricatures of Asians and everyday microaggressions that have never really stopped.
Now, this suffering is impossible to ignore. The mass killing in Atlanta is another symptom rather than a culmination of the racism Asians face; in fact, there were multiple attacks on people in the recent aftermath as well ashateful letters sent to Asian-owned businessesand ongoing violent incidents around the country. It’s more important than ever for allies to step up and support efforts to not only put a stop to hate crimes, but to also engage with Asian Americans and Asian communities to bring about long-term change. So how can we make this about more than just a hashtag that fades away with the next news cycle? Read on for a few concrete ways you can help.
6 Concrete Ways to Support Asian American Communities
Be intentional about learning
Support Asian American cookbook authors
Food is one of the best (and most fun!) ways to learn about culture. Asian Americans are not a monolithic group, and understanding the nuances of different Asian cuisines and the ways cooks connect it with their American experience can be really eye-opening. Not only will you get to try cuisines and cooking techniques you might not have known, but you’ll get a ton of cultural context in the storytelling. Here are a few cookbooks to start off:
Seek out chefs and organizations that are doing good with food
Eat in your local Chinatown and other enclaves
Write positive online reviews and notes to Asian business owners
In addition to a drop-off in patrons, many Asian business owners have received nasty letters and their businesses have been vandalized. Business owners pour their hearts into their establishments, and kind words from the community can make a big impact during this difficult time. Take a few minutes to share a positive review and even send an email expressing what the business means to you.
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