On March 27, a “Stop Asian Hate” Rally was hosted in the center of Westborough by the Westborough Chinese American Association. Hundreds of individuals gathered at the rotary on that Saturday afternoon carrying signs with the overall message that the nation’s Anti-Asian sentiment has to end.

There were more ways to show support in addition to standing at the rotary, and this was proven when countless vehicles drove passed while waving and shouting praises.

A passerby, Juliette Levesque shares that “it was really cool to see so many people in the community come together, and my family waved as we passed.”

The timing of this event is no coincidence as Asian Americans and Pasific Islanders have taken to social media to support each other and share their personal stories and experiences of discrimination. Many other rallies and protests have also been advertised all over the country to show solidarity in the fight to stop Asian hate.

So what exactly is Asian hate, and why is it so powerful that it encouraged dozens of families to stand at the Westborough rotary in protest? Asian hate is any discriminatory action taken against Asians and Pasific Islanders. Since the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic, Asian hate has increased rapidly, and attacks on Asian Americans -specifically the elderly- have become more common. And although these acts of discrimination against Asian Americans have been presistent throughout history, they have grown drastically over the past year due to the pandemic being falsely attributed to Asians. The use of the phrases “Chinavirus” and “Kong-flu” has not helped matters especially with former President frequently using these terms interchangeably when referring to the coronavirus.

“Stop Asian Hate” is the name of the movement, and it could be seen written in bold capital letters on the majority of the posters during the Westborough “Stop Asian Hate” rally. The repetition of these words shows the support behind ending Asian hate crimes.

Another passerby, Sofia Bruno, contributes that “it was great driving by and seeing so many people safely come together to stand behind such an important message. The rally helped bring together the westborough community and [it] hopefully inspired people to educate themselves about what’s been going on recently regarding the abundance of hate and discrimination towards Asian Americans.”

This event was a great way to inform people in Westborough, and it is only the start. NBC News reports that there have been nearly 3,800 reported anti-Asian hate incidents in the past year with Asian women and elders being the primary target. These violent attacks need to stop, and we need to continue to speak up in order to do it.

Source Used:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/there-were-3-800-anti-asian-racist-incidents-mostly-against-n1261257