• What is the history of anti-Asian racism in the United States?
• Why did the AAPI community become targets of hate and racist acts both today and in the past?
• How can we come together as a community to fight against hate and racism?

1. Rise in anti-Asian Racism
2. History of anti-Asian Racism & Scapegoating
3. Moving Forward & Healing
4. Resources for Administrators & Staff

1. Why has there been an increase of anti-Asian racism in recent times?
2. What and how are people reacting to it?

• Why do you think some people call COVID-19 the “Chinese Virus”?
• Where do you think people get that kind of information?
• Do you think Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders Americans are responsible for the pandemic? Why or why not?

1. Have students take a look at the following sites (both sites or one or the other)
   1. https://www.standagainsthatred.org/stories (Anecdotes)
   2. http://www.asianpacificpolicyandplanningcouncil.org/stop-aapi-hate-reports/ (Statistics)
2. As students look through the article, have them answer the following questions:
   1. What are some types of harassment Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) are facing?
      1. What stands out for you?
   2. What messages, emotions, feelings, or ideas are going through your head?
   3. Have you and your family/friends heard of, witnessed or experienced, any (anti-Asian) discrimination at school, social media, or in your community? If so, what happened? How did you or others around the incident react?
3. If in a classroom, discuss responses in partners or small groups. After some time in small groups, have students share out and discuss as a class. Once the class is ready after sharing out, proceed to the next activity.

1. Show the following video to students, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkgefC99l-M
2. After showing the video, have students answer the following questions:
   1. How has the pandemic affected the Asian American Pacific American community? What are their concerns?
   2. The Trump administration has on multiple occasions referred COVID-19 as the “Chinese Virus” and even “Kung Flu.” In the video, George Takei says that political leadership constantly using those terms has spurred racist incidents. What kind of role does language play? What kind of power does language have to incite people?
   3. What are some actions AAPIs are doing in response to the rise of anti-Asian racism in their communities?
   4. What messages, emotions, feelings, or ideas did you take away from this news article?
3. If in a classroom, discuss responses in partners or small groups. After some time in small groups, have students share out and discuss as a class.

1. As a reflection for the lesson, discuss with students their overall feelings about the rise of anti-Asian racist incidents.
2. Conclude the class by showing the class the following video (Neighborhood Foot Patrol Protects Asians in Bay Area)
   1. Why do you think people behave and target the Asian community?
   2. What kind of action did people do to protect their community?
   3. After seeing some responses from people in the community, which ones do you think are effective? What else can we do to move forward?
3. Be prepared to ask students so share out their thoughts. End on a positive note that there are people in the community stepping up to protect others against acts of hatred and racism. Ask students what they can do to step up if these incidents happen in their community.

• https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/how-to-respond-to-coronavirus-racism
• https://www.standagainsthatred.org/stories
• (Asian Americans face rise in racist incidents) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkgefC99l-M
• (An epidemic of hate: anti-Asian hate crimes amid coronavirus) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nlenypkMww
• (Neighborhood Foot Patrol Protects Asians in Bay Area) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em_nAj2-Ock
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/03/18/history-anti-asian-violence-racism/

1. What is the anti-Asian history in the United States?
2. How has AAPI been used as a scapegoat in history?
3. Why do geographical associations cause harm to communities?

1. Begin the lesson by assessing students’ prior knowledge. Ask students what they know about the history of Asian American Pacific Islander Americans in the United States. It is okay if they say they know nothing about it.
2. Record what students share out.
3. If not already shared, ask if they have heard or know of any of the following events: Chinese Massacre of 1871, Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, Tape v. Hurley, United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind, Watsonville Riots, Executive Order 9066, Japanese American Internment, and the murder of Vincent Chin, etc.

1. Students will be reading some excerpts from the following article, America’s long history of scapegoating its Asian citizens.
   1. Students will read and follow instructions highlighted in the document
2. After students complete the reading, they will complete the following chart and questions, tracking the cause and effects of anti-Asian racism in history.
3. Go over the chart with students and ask for their thoughts.

1. Ask students to reflect, write down, and share out their thoughts on the following:
   1. How do you feel when there are people out there who blame a whole group of people for something they do not have control over? What if the pandemic had started somewhere else besides China? How do you think people would have reacted if that was the case?
   2. How would you react to those comments?
2. Have students read the following article, Calling COVID-19 the “Wuhan Virus” or “China Virus” is inaccurate and xenophobic, and reflect on the two questions
   1. Why is not okay to call COVID-19 by a geographical location?
   2. What should we be doing instead?
3. Discuss as a class. Give the opportunity for students to share out in a safe and regulated space. Be prepared to answer any potentially uncomfortable questions, such as, “Why can’t we call it the China virus if it’s from China?”
   • Calling COVID-19 “China Virus,” “Wuhan Virus,” or “Kung Flu” is xenophobic, inaccurate, and racist. Do not attach it to a location or group people as that creates heightened discrimination and stigma towards a group of people due to conscious or unconscious bias. We are all victims.

1. What history was new to you through this activity? What are your (initial) reactions? Did anything stand out?
2. Do you feel anything has changed? How are recent incidents against AAPIs similar or different than what happened in the past?
3. Have you ever been blamed/scapegoated for something you did not do? How did that make you feel?
4. How would you feel if a group you identify with is blamed/scapegoated for something that is not your fault?
5. How would you feel if a group you identify with is blamed/scapegoated for something that is not your fault?

• https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/asian-american-racism-covid
• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LuyPg5wITwn_B2CpTLdCMVF0DDUBEwR7Xlv8ntF0vmA/edit?usp=sharing (Chart)
• https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/23074/
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/03/18/history-anti-asian-violence-racism/

1. How can we stand together as a community and address racism and hate?
2. How do we promote healing?

1. Start the class by showing the following video ‘I Shouted For Help, But Nobody Helped Me’: Asian Americans Are Under Attack.
2. Pose the question to the class to brainstorm some ideas. If students are reluctant to share out as a class, start off in pairs or small groups first.
   1. What messages, emotions, feelings, or ideas are going through your head?
   2. What are some ways that we can become stronger and stand together as a community to promote healing and change?
   3. (We have already looked at some ways people have stepped up in their communities. In addition) what are some things people are doing to protect and help their communities?
   4. What are some things we can do as an individual? In our community (city/neighborhood)? At the national level?
3. Allow students to share out their responses. Proceed to the Open Conversation activity.

1. At this point, open up the class to address any lingering concerns or questions may have about everything that has transpired, including things that may not have been covered in the lessons.
   1. Create space. Reach out, be willing and open to hear about people’s experiences, whether online or in person. Be present.
   2. Recognize your bias and consider where it comes from.
   3. Establish goals for conversation. Be specific. Establish boundaries.
      1. It is okay if an “agreement” is not reached. This is not one of those conversations where you have to end with “agree to disagree.”
   4. It is okay just to listen. You do not have to say anything. Recognize your limitations.
2. If necessary, refer to Learning for Justice’s How to Respond to Coronavirus Racism

1. Preface with students that this is not an “us vs. them” case. Instead, we should be looking at how we can build a unified front against hate and systemic racism. The end of the video showed Black and Asian communities coming together. There have been past instances where both communities came together in solidarity.
2. Have students take a look at and read the following article, Black and Asian Solidarity in American History: The Power of Unity Exemplified by 5 Major Events
   1. What accomplishments did we see when communities came together?
3. Separate students into breakouts. Referring back to the warm-up questions, have them research and then create an action plan on unity against racism and hate. The plan can be organized into a Google Slide presentation.
   1. The plan should be clear with actionable items
      1. Set goals and expectations
      2. Include ways in how they plan to promote it
      3. Execution
      4. Follow-up activities and actions after the primary action
4. Have students share out their action plans.

1. Ask students if there is one action they can take towards all this what would they take? Reflect.
2. Also, allow students to reflect on their role in our society. How does the AAPI community feel right now? If they are part of the AAPI community, how are they feeling about everything? If they are not part of the AAPI community, how will they feel if all these events are occurring in their community? Will they be bystanders or upstanders when witnessing injustices and hate?
3. Offer opportunities and resources for students to learn more about these topics. Provide outlets for them to take action.
   1. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DKLjh26g5vkuCVDnLeS5X4ElgT7Q1uT8ihlqQefP-no/edit?usp=sharing

• https://medium.com/advancing-justice-aajc/black-and-asian-solidarity-in-american-history-the-power-of-unity-exemplified-by-5-major-events-391025bbf228
• https://www.dosomething.org/us/articles/our-role-as-non-black-people-of-color-in-disrupting-racism
• ‘I Shouted For Help, But Nobody Helped Me’: Asian Americans Are Under Attack
• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DKLjh26g5vkuCVDnLeS5X4ElgT7Q1uT8ihlqQefP-no/edit?usp=sharing
• https://time.com/5938482/asian-american-attacks/

1. Educate yourself.
   1. https://nea-apic.com/aapi-resources/
   2. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DKLjh26g5vkuCVDnLeS5X4ElgT7Q1uT8ihlqQefP-no/edit?usp=sharing
2. Reach out, be willing and open to hear about people’s experiences, whether online or in person. Be present.
3. Recognize your bias and consider where it comes from.
4. Establish goals for conversation. Be specific. Establish boundaries. It is okay if an “agreement” is not reached. This is not one of those conversations where you have to end with “agree to disagree.”
5. It is okay just to listen. You do not have to say anything. Recognize your limitations.

1. Interrupt
2. Question
3. Educate
4. Echo

1. Reach out to friends who can validate your experiences. (Online friends count, too!)
2. Pull yourself away from the TV and headlines once in a while
3. If you have to go to the grocery store, steel yourself.
4. If you’re discriminated against, put your safety first.
5. Lean into literature written for and by Asians.
6. Remind yourself that this is part of a larger story.

• https://www.dosomething.org/us/articles/our-role-as-non-black-people-of-color-in-disrupting-racism
• https://www.huffpost.com/entry/self-care-advice-asian-americans_l_5e83a656c5b6a1bb764f0e45
• https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/how-to-respond-to-coronavirus-racism
• https://nea-apic.com/aapi-resources/
• https://smithsonianapa.org/learn/learn-archives/2020-04/