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Thousands of Americans participated in protests across the country to raise awareness about racial discrimination that Asian Americans have experienced for decades. The organizers demanded legislative action to combat the issue after a surge in violence against Asian Americans. Several rallies took place across the country as a continuation of Friday’s “National Day of Action and Healing”. It is a movement to protest anti-Asian violence in the wake of the 16^th March mass shooting at 3 Atlanta-area spas. Point to be noted that 6 women of Asian descent were among the 8 people killed. The former President Donald Trump has regularly referred to the coronavirus as the “Chinese virus”. A recent study showed that just one of his references to that phrase increased the use of anti-Asian hashtags on Twitter.

Stop AAPI Hate also said that around 3,800 hate crimes against Asian Americans have been reported from March 2020 to April 2021. A large number of videos and photos of protests have flooded social media as people from Washington, DC to Los Angeles participated in the rallies. One woman from Oregon tweeted how almost every speaker at the #StopAsianHate rally. She attended Saturday and said she is experiencing fetishization from White men. She said, “They also said they prefer Asian women bc we are submissive, we take good care of our men, we are obedient. This is part of the reason why most of my relationships ended bc I am none of those things. I will speak up, dominate, & break the rules. Stop fetishizing us. It’s a gross behavior & we are not disposable sex objects”.

Many across the country are also touting support for the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. On Friday, Senator Mazie Hirono tweeted that the bill would require a designated employee from the Department of Justice to expedite the review of hate crimes and reports of crimes related to COVID-19. The bill would not only condemn acts of racism but also would allow victims to come forward safely without fear. Many Asian Americans and allies shared their own stories online. Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka also tweeted that many are willing to profit from and enjoy Asian culture. She tweeted and said, “If people loved Asian people as much as they love bubble tea, anime, mochi, sushi, matcha, etc, Imagine profiting/enjoying things that come from a culture and then attacking/diminishing the ethnic group that created it”.