How Asian Canadians Are Fighting Racism During the Pandemic

In this excerpt from Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt’s book, Biased, the author details the role surveillance and apps like Nextdoor play in perpetuating and disrupting discriminatory housing policies, racism, and segregation in the United States. Furthermore, it details how online communities can be spaces for meaningful discussions on race and racism in America.

In a movement that started from a trending hashtag on Twitter - #BeingBlackandMuslim - scholars and activists around the country are working to reduce stereotypes about Black Muslims. Organizations that arose from the movement now compile toolkits, syllabi, and other educational materials about being Black and Muslim in America, and how stereotypes and racism is perpetuated both within and outside religious communities.

In order to combat xenophobic attitudes against refugees in Europe, three friends founded Solomon; a media outlet that “gives voice to non-native populations, countering negative stereotypes about them and helping them integrate into their new communities.” Recent grants have helped the magazine expand and pay staff. “We’re not like other media that focuses on refugees’ selling their bodies or selling drugs. We go with our camera and write about integration.”

Hate crime laws apply to a narrow range of conduct, and often fail as a response to bias incidents that constitute hate speech but are not in themselves a crime. When high school students working on a history class project produced a video with a song treating the KKK and racist murders as a joke, the school and community responded not with prosecutions but with community dialogues to air differences of opinion about the incident. Students of color then formed a group, Project D.R.E.A.M., that expanded the conversations to the entire school, educating a mainly white community about the impact of racism.

This article explores a myriad of ways on how to change anti-Semitic stereotypes and beliefs about Jewish people. Anti-bias training,integratingg holocaust education into the classroom, and holding difficult conversations, are some of the solutions identified in this article. “The foundation of any long-term strategy, experts say, is for communities to unite in condemnation of all forms of bigotry and hate.” “That starts with people talking to one another, and schools and community leaders being transparent about what is really happening.”

A program that was inspired by rising racial tensions is helping students from Pennsylvania State University and the University of Mosul in Iraq erase misconceptions about each other’s cultures. Participants of the “World in Conversation Program,” gather for virtual conversations and talk about their issues, concerns, and daily life. The program is helping them dismantle stereotypes they might have of Arabs and Americans. “I want to show them who we really are, beyond the stereotypes in the media.”

Young individuals who have lost loved ones to violence and live in violent areas are likely to perpetuate these trends. 'Becoming a Man' and 'Working on Womanhood' are programs that involve mentorship, behavioral therapy, and other skill development in order to help teenagers find a healthier path.

Women in Jos, Nigeria formed cross-religious peace networks and vigilante patrols that eliminated conflict deaths between 2014-2023 in their communities, restored inter-faith relationships, and reduced crime through nighttime security operations, though they face ongoing challenges from lack of police support and systemic justice failures.

When a white nationalist leader sparked an antisemitic hate campaign in his vacation community to settle a personal grievance, the community rose up in unison to confront the hate and render it toothless. Everyone from neighbors to the governor joined in the effort to counter disinformation and intimidation with alternative messages that telegraphed communal disapproval. A planned march by neo-Nazis was a flop and the leader of the planned attacks is now shunned. Other communities have contacted the leaders of the counteroffensive to get tips on protecting themselves from similar attacks.

In response to a string of hate crimes across the country that has left the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community on edge, a volunteer-led group is standing in solidarity through more than just words. Compassion in Oakland is providing chaperone services to Asian elders. The volunteer-led group is helping the Asian-American community feel safer by accompanying people on their errands and doing street patrols to show solidarity and support.