The Rise in Anti-Asian Racism and Xenophobia in the Time of COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a detrimental impact on the health of the American people and those abroad, the social consequences stemming from the spread of the virus have become an international crisis whose effects reach far beyond the medical issues associated with the disease. Racial and xenophobic propaganda about the illness promoted on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter and at campaign rallies by former President Trump has spurred a dramatic increase in anti-immigrant sentiments toward Asian Americans. The polarizing effects of the Administration’s anti-Asian rhetoric have become a battle cry that has given renewed justification to the growing number of White Supremacist hate groups stepping up their bias-related attacks against members of a community, which they believe is the primary source of viral transmission.

The present article analyzes the socioeconomic and psychological factors contributing to the increase of COVID-19-related racism and xenophobia in the United States. It reviews the history of sociocultural responses to past epidemics to aid our understanding of society’s reaction to the current global epidemic. It also examines specific legislative and grassroots measures that advocacy organizations and the federal government can implement to stem the tide of misinformation about the viral transmission at the heart of the current surge of violence and racial discrimination against the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.