Hate crimes and incidents of anti-Asian racism have spiked in the past several months since COVID-19 was first identified. Xenophobic reactions scapegoat Asians for the spread of COVID-19 have fueled racist behavior including exclusion from events, racist memes and jokes, microaggressions, harassment, and and physical assaults worldwide of Asian children and adults.
If you are Asian or Asian American, you may be experiencing:
* increased vigilance of others around you and their reactions
* worry for your safety and the safety of your loved ones
* distress from being exposed to racist material online
* anxiety due to vicarious trauma from hearing about others’ experiences of racism
* overwhelm from being the direct victim of racism
Things you can do to handle microaggressions and other racism:
If you have been the victim of racist behavior:
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Get support. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. Otherwise, connect with someone you trust as soon as possible. You might also find support online – Subtle Asian Mental Health is a Facebook group where all the posts are moderated for content safety.
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Take extra good care of yourself – recognize that it is not your fault if you feel increased anxiety or depression due to racism, even if it has not happened to you directly. Racism not only affects our mental health but our physical health as well. It is important to take time to rest and practice good self-care.
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Take action – if you feel up to it. You are not obligated to do this, but sometimes advocating for yourself and your community can give you a sense of control that combats the helplessness racism can make you feel.
Resources
I will continue adding to this list as I become aware of more resources.
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Tool kit for responding to microaggressions by psychologist Dr. Kevin Nadal of City University of New York: https://advancingjustice-la.org/sites/default/file/ELAMICRO%20A_Guide_to_Responding_to_Microaggressions.pdf
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From Teaching Tolerance: How to Respond to Coronavirus Racism
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The Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council, a non-partisan advocacy group for has an incident report form for tracking incidents of racism toward Asians and Pacific Islanders (APIs): http://www.asianpacificpolicyandplanningcouncil.org/
- Social Stigma Associated with COVID-19 – from WHO, IFRC, Unicef
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How to Fight Racism Through Inner Work – Rhonda Magee explains how mindfulness-based awareness and compassion is key to racial justice work.
- Comedian Ronny Chieng: Coronavirus is Stupid
