While discrimination reached new heights recently,anti-Asian discriminationhas been baked into Americas history long beforeCOVID-19 fueled xenophobia.
The widespread stories of violence against Asian American elders are numerous.
There are many more stories that havent been sensationalized across front-page news.
Carlina Teteris / Getty Images
In Asian American culture, elders occupy a special place in the family system and the overall community.
Sincehate crimesare usually undercounted and underreported, racial justice is few and far between.
Legally, its still difficult for prosecutors to pinpoint racism as the underlying reason for the swelling violence.
It requires the offender to explicitly state race as the motivator behind the attack.
How to Take Action
The path forward requires multiple solutions to mend harm.
Do you have a hate incident to report?
Help document the recent rise in hate crimes against Asian American elders by going tohttps://stopaapihate.org/.
The Marshall Project.NYPD hate crime data fails to capture harassment against Asians 65 or over.
2022;35(1):203-205. doi:10.3122/jabfm.2022.01.210232
117th Congress (2021-2022).S.937 - COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act.
AAPI Data.Tip of the iceberg: Estimates of AAPI hate incidents far more extensive than reported.
Kormendi NM, Brown AD.Asian American mental health during COVID-19: A call for task-sharing interventions.SSM - Mental Health.
