Asian American / Asian Research Institute
The City University of New York
The New York Times attempted to capture a sense of the rising tide of anti-Asian bias nationwide. Using media reports from across the country, The Times found more than 110 episodes since March 2020 in which there was clear evidence of race-based hate.
Divided by generation, ethnicity and class, but currently galvanized by a surge of racially motivated attacks, Asian-Americans are growing rapidly as political players.
Dax Valdes has been leading trainings offered by Hollaback! along with Asian Americans Advancing Justice/AAJC this past year. The idea is to give bystanders tools for intervening when they see someone being harassed or disrespected, with a focus on the person experiencing the conflict.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state lawmakers have agreed to create a $10 million fund in the state budget to combat discrimination against Asian-Americans in the wake of recent brutal assaults against their community, sources told The Post.
Some speak Mandarin, others Cantonese. They are part of the growing volunteer Safewalks patrols in Chinatown. Armed with just their identifiable safety patrol vests and some flyers, more than 50 volunteers offer to escort anyone who asks for help walking from the subway, bus or any other public area to their destination.
After an uptick in attacks against the Asian community — some where witnesses didn’t do anything to safely intervene or help victims — outreach and bystander safety intervention are taking center stage in trying to prevent further attacks.