Days before the senseless murder of eight people in Atlanta on March 16, 2021, six of whom were Asian women, a national report cited almost 4,000 documented incidents of hate against the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared one year ago. This report, from the California-based nonprofit consortium Stop AAPI Hate, also reveals that more than two-thirds of these attacks were committed against women and AAPI seniors have increasingly been targeted as well. Moreover, while the total number of documented cases in the report is significantly higher than during the previous year, reported cases represent only a fraction of the actual incidents of harassment, discrimination, and violence against the AAPI community.
In response to the tragedy in Atlanta and the larger trend of AAPI hate, including several recent incidents in the Twin Cities and outstate Minnesota, local activists led primarily by young people, are standing up to this hate. Last night, the Asian Minnesota Alliance for Justice (AMAJ)—founded following the death of George Floyd and the increase in AAPI hate related to the pandemic—hosted a virtual event that attracted hundreds of Minnesotans in a call for unity and the need to continue reporting incidents of hate and harassment against the AAPI community and other BIPOC populations. For more information on the AMAJ and its mission, strategies, community partnerships, resources, and opportunities for support and collaboration, please visit them online.
