During the first two years of operation, Stop AAPI Hate Information Center, people across the country have reported 11,467 hate incidents against the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community, but that number is just “the tip of the iceberg,” the organization said in a recent report.
“This number is just the tip of the iceberg. Our nationally representative survey conducted in collaboration with Edelman Data & Intelligence found that one in five Asian Americans and one in five Pacific Islanders experienced a hate incident in 2020 or 2021,” the document details.
In February and March 2020, AAPI communities across the country experienced a rise in harassment, intimidation and other acts of hate, while media outlets cited a growing number of “horrific” attacks targeting this population group, the report said.
And, she points out, a large number of these incidents employed anti-China rhetoric that blamed AAPI communities for the emerging COVID-19 pandemic.
In response, Chinese for Affirmative Action, AAPI Equity Alliance ‒formerly the Asian Pacific Policy & Planning Council‒, and San Francisco State University’s Department of Asian American Studies launched the Stop AAPI Hate clearinghouse on March 19, 2020.
In the first week, the organization received more than 600 reports from all over the country, and by the end of the month there were already 1,500.
Sadly, two years later, AAPI community members across the country continue to experience hate at alarming levels.
“Every day we receive stories of slurs, shunning, physical violence and other forms of discrimination against the AAPI community. The patterns are consistent: these terrible incidents occur as people try to go about their daily lives – buying groceries, riding public transportation or taking their children to school.”
Collectively, the voices of the people who have reported nearly 11,500 incidents over the past two years have become a powerful tool for the organization, not only because their stories have brought national attention to anti-AAPI hate, but the details they provide have facilitated a more nuanced understanding of what anti-AAPI hate looks like.
"We now know that most hate incidents, while harmful and traumatic, do not meet the legal definition of a crime and therefore require solutions that go beyond law enforcement," the study said.
“Each individual traumatic incident reported to Stop AAPI Hate reminds us of the urgent need to address systemic racism; our collective voice advocating for solutions is how we will do that,” she said.
Although they cause significant fear and trauma, the majority of hate incidents reported to Stop AAPI Hate are not hate crimes and would not be investigated or prosecuted as such.
Alarm figures
According to the organization, one in six (17 percent) of incidents involved physical violence, while one in six (16 percent) involved avoiding or fleeing.
Additionally, more than one in nine—12 percent—of the incidents involved potential civil rights violations, such as discrimination in a company or workplace.
Two in five incidents took place in public spaces, such as a street, sidewalk, park, hiking trail or beach; and more than one in four – 27 percent – took place in businesses, such as grocery stores, pharmacies or department stores.
Furthermore, one in ten (10 percent) incidents occurred online, and one in ten occurred on public transport.
AAPI people who are also women, nonbinary, or LGBTQIA+ experience hate incidents directed at them for their multiple identities.
Anti-AAPI hate has led to increased fear, with a 2021 national survey of AAPIs finding that only half (49 percent) felt safe going outside, while two in three (65 percent) worried about the safety of family members and the elderly.
On the other hand, one in three (32 percent) parents were concerned about their child being the victim of anti-AAPI hate or discrimination in unsupervised spaces and/or on the way to school.
Among Asian Americans who experienced a hate incident reported to Stop AAPI Hate, nearly all — 95 percent — felt the United States was more dangerous for them.
Those over 60 are especially vulnerable to fear, with nearly all — 98 percent — of those who experienced hate incidents believing the United States has become more physically dangerous for Asian Americans.
Hate has had a devastating impact on mental health. Among Asian Americans who experienced a hate incident reported to Stop AAPI Hate, nearly half — 49 percent — reported depression or anxiety.
Nearly three-quarters – 72 percent – named discrimination against them as their biggest source of stress, even ahead of their health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Stop AAPI Hate, the most effective solutions to addressing hate against the community are education, community-based solutions, civil rights legislation and enforcement, increased law enforcement, more leaders speaking out against hate or discrimination against AAPIs, more and increased ways to speak out against hate or discrimination, solidarity with other ethnic and racial groups, and more AAPIs in civic and leadership roles.
“Our data is just the starting point. By connecting our data to capacity building, policy advocacy, and narrative change, we are building a pathway from the experience of anti-AAPI hate to empowerment and healing. At the community level, we envision our data sparking a conversation to reimagine what safety and well-being means beyond law enforcement,” they detailed.
Finally, the organization called for local, state and national policymakers, the media and others in power to be held accountable and to help people understand that addressing hate against AAPI communities goes beyond law enforcement and requires long-term structural changes.
“Two years into our journey, our work is far from over. We will continue to leverage the power of our collective data to advance equity, justice and empowerment, dismantle systemic racism and build a more just society. dismantle systemic racism and build a multiracial movement to end anti-AAPI hate,” she concluded.
This publication was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.
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