Share Love, Not Hate

Although rules are changing quickly around our response to Covid-19, there has been one constant since the pandemic began: hate crimes against Asian Americans. As Dr. Jackie Brux, Emeritus Professor of Economics, UW-RF, tells us:

“One distressing element of our Coronavirus era is the alarming surge in hate speech and hate crimes directed toward Asian-Americans. In Minnesota, a man came home from work and found an anonymous letter taped on the door: “We’re watching you [expletives]. Take the Chinese virus back to China. We don’t want you …. infecting us with your diseases.” This is not an isolated incident. The New York Times reported that Asians and Asian Americans are being beaten, spat on, yelled at, and insulted from coast to coast. Our anxiety about the virus is understandable, but let’s take it as a time to find our innate humanity and respond to each other with kindness, while also addressing the racism that permeates our system.”

These are challenging times and it’s tempting to place blame on a scapegoat rather than looking at the complex web that brought us to the place we are now. At Pierce County GrassRoots Organizing, we are grateful for the large number of Asian American medical workers on the front lines caring for our loved ones. We are also grateful for the many ways in which Asian Americans enrich and contribute to the lives we all have as Americans. They are doing this now just as they have been doing so for many decades.

If you wish to send your love out to Asian Americans, join us on Facebook and post a photo of yourself with a heart.