Scrolling through my Instagram feed since the start of the pandemic, I’ve seen countless videos and stories highlighting the numerous hate crimes against the Asian American community.
The elderly are being attacked at random. Businesses are being vandalized at an alarming rate. Asian Americans have targets on their backs right now, given labels like “bat eaters” and “pandemic starters.”
Even with all of this, the media does not cover crimes against the Asian community with as much tenacity as other crimes or events involving white or Black Americans.
In the past year, we saw constant media coverage during protests against anti-Black police brutality and when Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in January. Everyone knew about these things because media outlets everywhere reported on them with such vigor.
We don’t find the same passion and energy when it comes to media coverage of the Asian American community. Apparently, it just doesn’t have enough appeal among the general population.
The only reason that I know about these things myself is because I follow several Instagram pages that emphasize Asian American topics and conversations. Accounts like @asianswithattitudes and @nextshark help to bring awareness to issues that are being swept under the rug.
Even outside of the mainstream media, the rest of America doesn’t seem to care either.
Since the sad and atrocious police killing of George Floyd, I have undergone many diversity training sessions. Personally, I believe having a conversation on diversity is vital for any workplace or organization to run smoothly, especially if it involves outreach to people of different backgrounds.
The problem arises when these sessions are clearly only focused on one specific group of people. I was told to check my privilege — that I could not possibly understand what members of the Black community were going through.
These diversity training sessions took away my voice and made me feel as if my problems were inadequate. I can’t speak for the Asian community as a whole, but I definitely felt alone in my struggles. I felt as though I couldn’t complain, because if my problems were important they would’ve been covered in the mainstream media already.
They were not. And yet, being told I couldn’t possibly empathize with what the Black community was going through just didn’t sit well with me.
I’ve had moments during the pandemic where I feared leaving my apartment. Not because I was scared of COVID-19 — because I feared how others would look at me. I feared the hateful words that would be hurled in my direction. I feared becoming just another statistic.
Sadly, these fears became a reality for me. I’ve had people stare at me with such disgust and tell me things that are definitely not suitable for work or even friendly conversation.
My own experiences are just a part of it. Hate crimes against Asian Americans are on the rise. In a country that only sees in Black and white, every other race suffers. 
Anthony Bui is a 20-year-old English junior from Opelousas.