The hashtag #stopasianhate started to gain traction during March of last year after a series of explicit hateful attacks against Asians in public. Since then, though such attacks have not ceased, many are voicing out their concerns regarding how we can go past the hashtag - that is to say, how can we ensure that real awareness is being spread and action is taken instead of just being performative allies?
Here are some of the ways which you can use to actively show your support:
Email/call/message your legislators to ask them what is being done, or what they have already done, to support the Asian community. Often, significant change can only occur when individuals or institutions that wield power are rooting for and supporting a cause, not by being impassive or worse, acting against it.
Start conversations about racism with people you know. Often, many do not take action because they feel uninformed or uneducated enough about a particular topic to participate in any discussions surrounding it. A conversation alone might show that we don’t have to be experts to be involved; most importantly, we have to care.
Call out acts of Asian racial micro-aggressions. Examples of these are verbal, non-verbal, physical and behavioral acts that might not be obvious but communicate harmful messages and opinions about Asians. It is crucial that we speak up when noticing something wrong even when no one else does, because keeping silent is only going to perpetuate the belief that what is written, spoken or acted is unproblematic, which should be changed.
These are some of the many ways through which one can show support; of course, this is not an exhaustive list, and there are many more platforms and channels which you can use to educate yourself and others around you to raise awareness and take action. Social media can be a good way to learn about recent happenings surrounding assaults and attacks centered around this topic - social media pages such as @stopasianhate and @nextshark also provide information about such incidents.