In Depth: Racism spikes in Asian American, Jewish and African-American communities during pandemic
LOS ANGELES - Segment A: Racism against Asians
Hal talks to the Co-founder of Asian Americans in Action Priscilla Huang and ADL Regional Director Amanda Susskind about the rash of Anti-Asian sentiment engendered by the coronavirus crisis. Huang says that while she has not been a victim of hate speech or discrimination, she worries about her family and they take precautions when they are out.
Susskind says that source of the racism is fear that has been brought on by the unknown, and the nature of the pandemic leads people to act out to find blame by "othering" or focusing their anger and hatred on those who may not look like them.
Susskind shared this website to report crimes against Asians
Segment B: Anti-semitism
ADL Director Amanda Susskind is joined by Richard Hirschhaut, the director of the American Jewish committee in Los Angeles to talk about the anti-Semitism experienced by Jewish Americans in the wake of the pandemic.
Susskind says the ADL is monitoring online hate activity which divides into two camps: allegations that Jews are using the virus to create world domination, which, she says is surprising as Jewish people only make up about .2 percent of the world population- and second, conspiracy theories that Jews are manipulating the stock market. She says this is nothing new for the Jewish community, but hatred arises any time there is a world disaster, as happened 100 years ago during the Spanish flu.
Hirschhaut says he sees hope ahead because despite the uptick in hate, there has also been an increase in altruism and positivity since the beginning of the pandemic.
Segment C: Systemic racism
Hal speaks with L.A City Councilman Herb Wesson about the threat to communities of color from the pandemic. Wesson put out a video warning that reopening the city too soon would put minorities at risk. Wesson says that because people of color make up a majority of workers in jobs that are exposed to the public, which they are in more danger than office workers. He also cites the fact that the death rate for minorities from COVID-19 are much higher than for Caucasians all across the country.
Wesson says that this is a good time to remedy the health system and the economic system that have failed. He also says that the city has to focus on communities that are more at risk, and make sure that they have all the protective gear that they need.
Segment D: Wrapup
We share a video created from Songwriter Dianne Warren's song "I'm Standing With You" featuring more than 170 artists from across the globe, being used to promote the UN Foundation's COVID-19 Response Fund for the World Health Organization through this website https://covid19responsefund.org
The video is available to view by clicking here.