Fighting Asian American hate in the US is everyone’s battle

Hate manifests in many ways, from microaggressions designed to denigrate someone based on their gender, race or sexual preference to explosions of rage that leave death in its wake. For too long, hate and racial injustice have been partners in crime in this country.

Take for example, the teacher in Palmdale, Calif., whose racist rant against a Black student, his mother and the Black community at large was caught on a hot mic in a Zoom call — on Martin Luther King Day, for God’s sake. Or the woman at the Manhattan bakery caught on tape letting loose a fusillade of bigoted bile, laced with the “N” word, in front of children, because she was asked to wear a mask.

People aren’t born with hatred, it is taught. Unfortunately, there are far too many who harbor hatred and are willing to teach. Over the last four years we’ve seen hate gain a solid foothold, especially against people of color and members of the LGBTQ, Jewish and Muslim communities. It’s played out in the massacres in our synagogues and mosques and in our night clubs. The fans of hate have been flamed by malevolent rhetoric from influencers, including our elected leaders. Who can forget President Trump declaring of the Charlottesville riot, there were “good people on both sides,” ignoring the fact that a woman was mowed down and killed in the street. It gave the haters a pass.

I applaud the Asian American community for making a stand — not only in filing suit to call the heinous attack in Atlanta the hate crime that it is but demanding civil rights violations be added to the charges.