The Asian American community is demanding to be heard after a series of recent violent hate crimes that received little to no media attention.

Since the pandemic began, anti-Asian rhetoric and discrimination became normalized. Stop AAPI Hate, an organization dedicated to preventing Asian American and Pacific Islander discrimination, has received over 2,500 reports of hate incidents since March 2020.

Yet, despite the numerous acts of violence and even deaths, the media and general public remains relatively silent about this issue.

It seems that only the Asian community is willing to speak up about this blatant xenophobia, with actors like Daniel Dae Kim and Daniel Wu using their platforms to spread awareness, each donating $25,000 to Stop AAPI Hate and Hate Is A Virus.

Former NBA player Jeremy Lin also spoke out, claiming in a Facebook post that he was “called ‘coronavirus’ on the court” and that Asian Americans “are tired of being told that [they] don’t experience racism.”

Asian American lawmakers are taking action by pushing Congress to pass the No Hate Act, which would increase local funding for monitoring hate incidents. 

Although President Biden signed a memorandum in January to instruct the Justice Department about dealing with anti-Asian attacks, xenophobic incidents continue to worsen for Asian Americans.

As an Asian American, I am tired of feeling unsafe in the country I call home. I am tired of the mainstream media ignoring our voices. And I am so, so tired of America’s continued ignorance toward people of color.

Until the media amplifies Asian American voices and others outside of the Asian community advocate against these hate crimes, change will not happen.

Asian Americans are tired of suffering in silence, and we should not have to beg to be heard.