Artistic Responses to Anti-Asian Racism during the COVID-19 pandemic

Monica Yoo

Pronouns: she/her

Research Mentor(s): Melissa Borja
Co-Presenter:
Research Mentor School/College/Department: American Culture / LSA
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Session 3 – 1:40pm – 2:30 pm
Room: League Ballroom
Authors:
Presenter: 70

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic coincided with a substantial rise in hate crimes and incidents directed toward Asian Americans, documented by governmental institutions like the FBI, advocacy organizations like Stop AAPI Hate, and research centers like the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. To address rising anti-Asian racism, Asian American community organizations and individuals responded in a variety of creative ways. My study investigates how individual artists and organizations artistically responded to anti-Asian discrimination during COVID-19. I examined 64 articles and 53 incidents of artistic responses in news media, such as print journalism and radio and television broadcasts in the United States from January 2020 to March 2021. These artistic responses ranged from fashion-based forms, visually artistic forms, media-based artistic forms, music, and performance-based forms, to alternative artistic forms. The large variety of artistic responses to anti-Asian racism indicated a movement of wide-ranging perspectives of activists who are expressing their creative efforts and coming together in solidarity and activism. This research study offers a more detailed view of the forms of Asian American activism. Scholars have documented efforts by Asian Americans to call for policy change (Wu 2020). My research study illuminated anti-Asian resistance taking shape through not only addressing America’s legislative process but also various forms of artistic expression. 11 artistic responses addressed “hate virus,” “Chinese virus,” and general fear of Asians spreading COVID-19, which promoted rhetoric of how Asians are “not a virus” (Castaneda 2020; Magsaysay 2020). Also, 15 instances of creative activism aimed to uplift their local and national Asian American communities. This research study serves to not only highlight the various artistic forms of Asian American activism during COVID-19 but set a precedent for future research on artistic forms of Asian American activism.

Presentation link

Arts and Humanities, Interdisciplinary