With the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the world and causing a national emergency in the U.S. as well, uncertainty and fear have become the basis of various acts of violence, prejudice, and discrimination against people of Asian descent. In recent weeks, there have been various cases of confirmed violence towards Asians and Asian Americans, including cars being vandalized with racist graffiti, people being spit on and attacked, people being harassed with racial slurs, and more.
To help combat these issues, the Asian American communications agency IW Group has united with various celebrities to raise awareness of the issue of anti-Asian bigotry.
The campaign, entitled #WashTheHate, kicked off earlier this month and includes videos and posts being shared across social media to raise awareness of the current problem. The videos shows various people as they wash their hands while sharing their own stories or experiences facing bigotry and racism. As such, they not only raise awareness of the current issue of anti-Asian sentiment, but they also continue to spread the directions of proper hand washing to combat the virus as laid out by the CDC.
Some of the celebrities who have participated in the campaign include actress Celia Au (“Wu Assassins”), actor Tzi Ma (“Mulan”), actor Ludi Lin (“Power Rangers,” “Aquaman”), and many other YouTubers, musicians, and influencers, incuding Boba Guy co-founder Andrew Chau, who recently address the U.S. Congress on the impact of the coronavirus on small businesses.
“Mulan” actor Tzi Ma stated about the campaign, “We’re hoping this campaign sends a message of solidarity and compassion to the world. Hatred and division aren’t going to prevent this virus from spreading and will only make an already-difficult situation even worse. We’re calling for everyone — regardless of their race or country of origin — to recognize that we’re all in this fight together.”
Check out a few of the videos being shared below, then see the #WashTheHate hashtag on Twitter by clicking here. You can also click here to follow #WashTheHate on social media. Don’t forget that you can also participate to help spread the love and to wash the hate! Just check out the directions above.
There are serious concerns in the Asian American community about scapegoating and becoming the targets of misplaced fear and anger. Come join me and post a video to #WashTheHate. Let’s not discriminate and we can overcome Covid-19 together! ? pic.twitter.com/xk1WLezcBn
— Celia Au (@ItsCeliaAu) March 17, 2020
#WashTheHate #AAJA pic.twitter.com/zNaH5h5Sqp
— Vicky Nguyen (@VickyNguyenTV) March 27, 2020
“And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.” – Kitty O’Meara ?❤️#washthehate #inthistogether #flattenthecurve @WashTheHate pic.twitter.com/W4HaGRlEUu
— Catherine Haena Kim (@catherinehkim) March 24, 2020
Media: #WashTheHate
Source: IM Group