Atrocity after atrocity. 

When an armed gunman committed multiple mass shootings in Atlanta last month, specifically targeting Asian women, it sparked outrage across the world. The shooter was 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long from Woodstock. The killing of these six Asian women has provoked debate about anti-Asian racism worldwide. 

“Personally, as an Asian-American woman, I feel afraid and extremely unsettled knowing how such violence occurred just down the road. It served as a painful reminder for me that racism is not just a foreign news headline from across the country, but a very real threat that could have easily been my mother or sister,” Priscilla Dice, sophomore, said. 

What happened in Atlanta was not an isolated event. Amidst the ongoing pandemic, there has been an uptick in hate crimes against Asians around the world. On Monday, Mar. 29, a white man attacked a 65-year-old Asian woman in New York City. Since the start of this year, 33 hate crimes against Asians have occurred in New York City alone. 

“I believe the hate crimes against Asian Americans during COVID-19 are nothing but vile. The fact that some people are taking out their anger on Asians due to COVID-19 or other societal factors shows how American society still has not reached an end to the pervasive racism that continues to exist within it,” Shuborno Anwar, junior, said.  

Many have taken to Instagram to voice their opinions with the recent events unfolding, using the hashtag #StopAsianHate. Accounts such as @impact and @soyouwannatalkabout have gained millions of followers by using their platforms to spread awareness about current events. 

“Hate crimes are disturbing, and we should not have any at all. People need to grow up and learn to love everyone no matter how they look, act, and speak. It is sad that we have to deal with these things,” Isabel Springer, freshman, said.  

Stop AAPI Hate, a non-profit group advocating for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), received nearly 3,800 reports of hate incidents against people of Asian descent in the U.S. in the past year.  Violence at this level and attacks such as the Atlanta spa shootings are evident of a larger trend of racism against Asian Americans.  

“I think that [the hate crimes] definitely emphasize that racism and hate towards Asians is a real and fundamental problem. We need to put a stop to it,” David Robles, junior, said. 

#StopAsianHate is more than a social media trend. Learn how to support members of the AAPI community here.