Across the country, hate crimes are increasing at an alarming rate. Every day a new incident of hate is reported in one of the country’s major cities. Most recently, hate crime charges were filed Monday against a man accused of spitting on an Asian couple in a California mall, NBC News reported.
Addressing this ongoing pandemic of racism during a press briefing on Tuesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki blamed “hate-filled rhetoric and language" regarding the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic as a driving force behind the increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans.
Psaki's comment came in direct response to a reporter who questioned the White House's response to a rise in crime against Asian Americans, in addition to recent statements from Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim who, according to the Associated Press, said she faced daily violence online and fears for the safety of her parents due to the number of assaults on Asians in America.
The reporter not only referenced a new report which found that hate crimes against Asian Americans rose 339% in 2021 compared with 2020, but questioned what the White House was doing to address this increase.
“It seems we don't see much action taken by the White House. And even in the press briefing, the very last time you mentioned about Asian Americans was last May. So, will the president take some action or even just record a video like what he did last year to raise the awareness?” the reporter asked.
In response Psaki said: "The president has put into place a task force. He has hired a senior level staffer to be a representative and speak to these threats, the concerns and these fears felt by the Asian American community. There's a number of steps we need to take, and continue to take, to address.”
"We've seen this rise unfortunately because of hate-filled rhetoric and language around the origins of the pandemic," she added. "That is something that Asian Americans across the country have been feeling.”
Pskai also praised Kim, calling her "incredibly courageous and brave" to speak out about the "fear she had, the fear she has for her family members,” and reiterated that President Biden is "absolutely committed" to addressing the situation.
While the situation has not gotten any better, this is the second time Psaki has reassured Americans that Biden is “outspoken” about and “concerned” for Asian Americans. In February 2021, Psaki said that the White House was working to deal with the rise in violence.
During that time, she also blamed Donald Trump and his administration for the rise in crimes against Asian Americans.
"There's no question that some of the damaging rhetoric we saw during the prior administration — calling COVID 'the Wuhan virus' or other things — led to perceptions of the Asian American community that are inaccurate, unfair, have elevated threats against Asian Americans," Psaki said last March.
While several reports have found a connection between Donald Trump and his administration's continued use of language like the “Kung Flu” to refer to COVID-19 and a rise in verbal and physical attacks against Asian Americans, things have not changed despite him leaving office.
Misinformation about the virus is still prevalent in the U.S. and hate crimes targeting the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community are only increasing nationwide. We must do more than just continue to blame the Trump’s administration’s fuel for the current fires that are taking place. Of course, Trump had more than a hand in increasing hate against the AAPI community, but that doesn’t mean we should sit quiet and continue to blame his lack of leadership.
Outside of signing an anti-Asian hate crimes act in May 2021, Biden has stayed silent on the issue. Women and elderly members of the AAPI community continue to be targeted, increasing fear in the community.
Most recently, a Korean American woman named Christina Yuna Lee was killed by a homeless man after being stabbed more than 40 times in her New York City apartment building, Daily Kos reported. The horrific incident follows the death of Michelle Alyssa, an Asian woman who was shoved in front of a subway train in New York’s Times Square.
Advocates and lawmakers alike are demanding more be done to support the AAPI community. This hate cannot go unaddressed any longer.