Can hatred serve as inspiration?
Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic, many countries worldwide have been struggling to handle the global pandemic. However, as the Coronavirus was first found in China, Asian people who live in the West get racist treatment. Even though the United Nations already claimed that racism may affect each aspect of diagnosis and treatment of Covid-19, such as access to telemedicine, medical check, Covid-19 test, etc., Donald Trump, America former president, referred to the pandemic as the “Chinese virus” and “Kung Flu.” His action validates racism against Asians and makes the situation worse.
RELEVANT SUSTAINABLE GOALS
Racism against Asians is being discussed more when a tragedy happened in Atlanta, Georgia, where 8 people died from shootings, 6 out of 8 victims are Asians, by a white man named Robert Aaron Long. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community revealed that nearly 3.800 anti-Asian incidents were reported during the pandemic. This tragedy triggers the ‘Stop Asian Hate’ global movement in many forms: mural art protests.
The Stop Asian Hate
The ‘Stop Asian Hate’ murals decorate the corners of cities in America, such as “I Still Believe in Our City,” “I Did Not Make You Sick,” “We Belong Here” murals in New York City, “Stop Asian Hate” murals in Manhattan, some in Los Angeles, and many more.
Decorating every corner of cities with the ‘Stop Asian Hate’ murals is one way to spread Asian hate and how Asians have been scapegoated, not just since the pandemic, but since a very long time ago. The murals also become a way that could help Asians to speak up against racism, discrimination, and conflict between Asians and racism. The “Stop Asian Hate” murals encourage the Asian young generation to carry the message and help set an example as a community. Not just Asian, the murals also represent the people of color struggles and how they are mistreated and discriminated against. This action shows that they empathize and support each other as people of color.
The ‘Stop Asian Hate’ movement was started by several Asian artists from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds, which include Indonesian, Thailand, Laos, Indian, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and many others, such as Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, who placed 45 panels of Black, East Asian, and Southeast Asian portraits in New York City residents, Dragon76, who created ‘Stop Asian Hate’ in Manhattan, and artists Anicka Yi and Kenneth Tam.
Not just Asians, the murals also represent other people of color as they give support to the ‘Stop Asian Hate’ movements. Art institutions also support this movement, such as New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco’s De Young Museum, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington DC supporting Asian and AAPI artists for the ‘Stop Asian Hate’ mural art protests.
The collection of multilingual graphics to address anti-Asian racism and harassment CAN BE DOWNLOADED FREE FOR CHARGE HERE.
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