A study from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism (CSUSB) at California State University, San Bernardino, saw overall rates of hate crime decreased by 7% in 2020. However, anti-Asian hate crimes have increased by 149%, and there have been about 3,800 anti-Asian hate incidents reported between March 19, 2020, and February 2021 (CSUSB). Also, women have reported hate crimes 2.3 times more than men, according to a report by Stop AAPI Hate (Times).

Therefore, amid the dramatic spike of hate crimes among the AAPI community, it is important to remember there are several ways to help. Starting off, reporting hate crimes through organizations can be another method to show that hate crimes are prevalent.

For instance, witnesses or victims can report to the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), which comprises 50,000 AAPI lawyers, law students, judges, and law professors. NAPABA provides resources explaining the difference between a hate crime and hate incident, demonstrates how to report a hate crime to law enforcement, and launched a Hate Crimes Task Force project to help provide legal resources to victims (Times).

Stop AAPI Hate is another organization that allows individuals to report hate crimes and gives national, and state reports of AAPI hate incidents with statistics and safety tips with experiencing or witnessing hate crimes (Stop AAPI Hate).

Asian Americans Advancing Justice is affiliated with five organizations in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington that help with civil and human rights for Asian Americans. Also, Stop AAPI Hate and Asian Americans Advancing Justice are available in multiple languages for those not fluent in English (Times).

Donating is another way to help those impacted in the AAPI community. Individuals can donate to organizations such as Heart of Dinner, which delivers lunches and produce to New York City’s elderly Asian American communities and Send Chinatown Love supports local businesses and restaurants in Chinatowns across the nation. 

The movement #StopAsianHate has been popularized through news outlets and Asian celebrities addressing the need for racial equity. #StopAsianHate has a GoFundMe to help support organizations that empower the AAPI community that help victims and promote community safety. Haley Yoon (10) appreciates Asian celebrities raising awareness on this matter and “using their platform to influence others to join this significant cause.” 

Numerous victims have also set up GoFundMes to pay for medical bills, therapy for the traumatizing event, and more. Some of the many victims include Xiao Zhen Xie, a grandmother racially attacked; the incident left her with two black eyes and mental, physical, and emotional trauma. Ngoc Pham is another victim, an 83-year-old Vietnamese man with a fractured nose, in addition to cuts and bruises on his head from his instigated fall. Finally, in memory of the single mother of two children Hyun Jung Grant, a victim of the Atlanta, Georgia, Gold Spa shooting, her sons have held a fundraiser. 

Although the roots of racism towards the AAPI community in America can be traced back centuries ago, COVID-19 has unquestionably been a component of the spike towards Asian hate crimes. Therefore, individuals apart from the AAPI community and allies must unite to help those impacted and prevent such instances from occurring again.