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#HateIsAVirus: People Are Using Masks to Fight Hate Against Asian Americans

AvatarCarl Samson
April 7, 2020
#HATEISAVIRUS

Face masks no longer just prevent the transmission of COVID-19 as activists on the internet have begun using them to call for an end in hate crimes committed against Asian Americans.

For the past several weeks, incidents of racism and xenophobia against Asian Americans have surged, with Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) reporting a rate of 100 cases per day.

 

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On March 14, 2020, at 7:28 in Midland, Texas. Bawi Cung Nung and his son Robert were attacked with knife by Jose Gomez. Both the father and son were stabbed in the face. Robert was stabbed severely. The Hispanic attacker, Jose Gomez is only 19 years old. He has been taken into custody. During this encounter, an employee of Sam’s Club was also injured while trying to take down the attacker. Why did he stab them? Although we cannot get an answer right now due to the condition of the victims. Since the COVID-19 originated from China, many believe this is an act of racism. However, some believe that this was an act of fighting for product they need. If there’s any updates on the case, we’ll keep you guys posted. (Update: it was confirm that the attack was racially motivated) Admins Note: This is really getting out of hands now. I’m not even worry about the virus itself anymore, I’m more scared and concerned for the hate and racism toward Asians. I can’t stop thinking about our parents who have to go to work or go grocery shopping, and how they could potentially get verbally or physically attack. The fact that other minorities are the one doing is mind-boggling. I don’t feel safe anymore, and I’m sure many of you feel the same way. The ignorance and stupidity is just mind blowing. Time to start carrying weapons now for self-defense. If you see micro-aggression or any blatant racism toward chin people or Asians in general, you better intervene. Call them out of their racism, hatred, stupidity, and ignorance.

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Chu, along with other lawmakers and civil rights organizations, have urged Congress to establish tangible steps to combat the problem, but such efforts struggle as the administration continues to attach the word “Chinese” to the virus.

To make matters worse, hate speech against China and Chinese people, in particular, has reportedly escalated by 900% on Twitter, while visits to hate sites and “specific posts” against Asians has increased by 200%.

Now, a social media campaign using the hashtag #HateIsAVirus has started making rounds to express solidarity with victims of hate crimes.

The campaign encourages people from all over the world to post photos of themselves wearing masks, showing that the coronavirus affects anyone regardless of race or nationality.

Malea Emma, an 8-year-old singer, actor and YouTuber, shared a video of herself singing “Yellow” from “Crazy Rich Asians” in support of the campaign.

“Please stop racism and hate against Asians everywhere! We have to unite to fight the coronavirus. We don’t need another virus in this world,” her parents posted on her Twitter page.

Organizers of the campaign recently posted a five-step process in developing a “vaccine” against hate.

It includes (1) calling out hate when one sees it, (2) casting negativity to the side, (3) turning the pain into positivity, (4) sharing messages of resiliency, love and encouragement, and (5) becoming a leader of change in one’s community.

“It doesn’t matter how you speak up, it only matters that you do,” the organizers wrote in a tweet, which features a piece of artwork supporting the campaign.

“Whether through art, poetry, music, selfies, dance, etc., do what you need to do to raise your voice and be heard.”

Check out other social media posts supporting the campaign below:

 

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#HATEISAVIRUS is a movement to combat racism and xenophobia against Asians fueled by COVID-19. . Through a collaborative effort among founders of @weareuprisers__, @wearebetterbrave, @asianhustlenetwork and influencers, our goal is to raise over $1M through donations, social media awareness, campaign tee sales to support Asian-owned small businesses across the nation who are currently struggling to keep afloat. . Here is what you can do to join the movement: . 1️⃣ Post a selfie and tag #HATEISAVIRUS and @hateisavirus_ on your social media channels with either a DIY mask or paper that says Hate Is A Virus or #HATEISAVIRUS . 2️⃣ Update your Facebook profile photo with the #HATEISAVIRUS overlay . 3️⃣ Repost/retweet/share on social media platforms to amplify this movement as well as the voices of Asian Americans using the hashtag #HATEISAVIRUS . 4️⃣ Share your own stories, feelings, and experiences using the hashtag #HATEISAVIRUS. It’s time to speak up for our community and fight fear/hate. . . #ahn #asianhustlenetwork #ahnfamily #hustle #betterbrave #uprisers #covid_19 #coronavirus #takeaction #fightthegoodfight

A post shared by Maggie Chui (@magg.chui) on

 

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As someone of Asian descent whose platform promotes love and connection, it is difficult for me stay silent as I see numerous reports of racist acts against Asians and Asian Americans related to COVID-19. It’s painful to see children as young as 2 years old being assaulted because of someone’s ignorance and fear. I can’t imagine the lasting pain that child will experience. Living in New York City, where there are almost 70K people infected, I not only fear of catching the virus, but also of being threatened or attacked. We are all scared. Acts of violence and hate will not solve the problem. Stay home, educate yourself, and spread love instead. #HATEISAVIRUS Thanks to @hateisavirus_ for starting this campaign and spreading the message! COVID-19に関連するアジア人およびアジア系アメリカ人に対する人種差別的な行為の多くの報告を見ているので、愛とつながりを促進するプラットフォームを持つアジア系の誰かとして、私が沈黙するのは難しいです。 誰かの無知と恐怖のために、2歳の子供が暴力を受けているのを見るのは辛いです。 子供が経験する持続的な痛みを想像することはできません。 7万人近くが感染しているニューヨーク市に住んでいる私は、ウイルスに感染することを恐れているだけでなく、脅迫されたり攻撃されたりすることも恐れています。 私たちは皆怖いです。 暴力や憎悪の行為は問題を解決しません。 家にいて、自分を教育し、愛を広めてください。

A post shared by My Adoption Story | 私の養子ストーリー (@myadoptionstory) on

 

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#HateIsAVirus The World is a scary place right now for all of us. In times like these I realize that it is easy for us to let fear takeover and that can bring out the worst in some people. It seems like every day I hear or read about more incidents of racism, violence & xenophobia towards Asians and Asian-Americans both here and overseas fueled by COVID-19. It almost seems like this racism and discrimination is spreading faster than the virus itself and that’s heartbreaking. Our World has changed and there is a good chance that a lot of things that we took for granted in our daily lives may never be the same again. This virus affects every single one of us, it doesn’t care about our nationality or skin color. So, surely this is a time when we should all be working together to kick this virus’s butt instead of hating and attacking each other. How about we try spreading love & kindness instead. One thing is for sure, we need to unite and support each other if we want to have any chance of beating this thing. Since the World is already changing, why don’t we do everything we can now and make it a change for the better✌🏻🖤 – If you want to learn more about the #HateIsAVirus movement and find out what you can do to help all you have to do is search on any SNS and you’ll find their profiles 👍🏻

A post shared by Danny Farzaneh (@dannyfarzaneh) on

 

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Interrupting my social media silence with an important message: Hate is a virus. It breaks my heart to hear what my family and friends have experienced. Let’s be united in love and respect for people of all cultures and backgrounds and focus on finding solutions to repair the damage that the pandemic and the fearful reactions to it have caused. #perfectlovecastsoutfear . . . #HATEISAVIRUS is a movement to combat racism and xenophobia against Asians fueled by COVID-19. Asian-owned businesses are reporting a drop of up to 80% due to such misinformation. Through a collaborative effort among founders of @weareuprisers__ , @wearebetterbrave, @asianhustlenetwork and community leaders, our goal is to raise over $1M through donations, social media awareness, campaign tee sales to support small Asian-owned businesses across the nation who are currently struggling to keep afloat. Learn more and join us in this movement by going to: http://bit.ly/hateisavirus-campaign. . . . Special thank you to @tammycho for including me as part of this campaign and to @elise_fan for helping me with this post. Swagged out in @japangeles thanks to @roy_japangeles and team. #japangeles #hateisavirus @hateisavirus_ #racismisavirus #washthehate #iputonmakeupandchangedoutofpjsforthis #thatshowimportantitiss #joinus #youdonthavetobeasiantohelp #weloveourallies

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HATEISAVIRUS. It’s attacking our businesses, our elders, our humanity. http://bit.ly/hateisavirus-campaign It lets a pandemic run rampant when *everyone* should be working together to implement expert public health advice – but instead we have to protect the most vulnerable of our community members. #HATEISAVIRUS is a movement to combat racism and xenophobia against Asians fueled by COVID-19, powered by We Are Uprisers, BetterBrave, Asian Hustle Network and our friends. Our goal is to raise over $1M through donations, social media awareness, campaign tee sales to support small Asian-owned businesses across the nation who are currently struggling to keep afloat. ——–LINKS——- -Support and take part in this movement! This link will continue to update with the latest: http://bit.ly/hateisavirus-campaign -Stop AAPI Hate Reporting Center from Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council: http://www.asianpacificpolicyandplanningcouncil.org/stop-aapi-hate/ -Notes on COVID-19 and Anti-Asian Racism: https://www.facebook.com/jasonglchu/posts/10102707770617774 Words by the impeccable and beautiful @jasonchumusic

A post shared by Chef Matt Delatour (@mattbookpro1014) on

 

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#HATEISAVIRUS 코로나19가 혐오와 차별로 번지고 있는 지금. 이방인 혐오인 ‘제노포비아’와 인종차별에 반대하는 움직임 #HATEISAVIRUS 를 엘르 코리아가 지지합니다❗️바이러스는 인종과 종교, 성적 취향을 가리지 않으며, 코로나19에 대한 공포와 불안감은 어떤 차별적 행동에 대한 변명도 될 수 없습니다🙅🏻‍♀️ 지금 우리에게 필요한 것은 비난과 폭력이 아니라 인류 공통의 질병에 공감하며 위로하는 #AloneTogether 의 자세입니다. – ELLE Korea supports #HATEISAVIRUS, which is a movement to combat racism and xenophobia against Asians fueled by COVID-19. It’s a scary time for all of us. But this fear and anxiety can’t be an excuse for any discriminatory behaviour. What we need now is to empathize with and comfort each other. #AloneTogether 📷 @hateisavirus_ @maskmessages 📱권민지, 이재희

A post shared by ELLE KOREA 엘르 코리아 (@ellekorea) on

Feature Images via @magg.chui (left), @caliwu (center) and @duckybokki (right)

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