Filipinos are the third largest ethnic group that is being targeted by anti-Asian groups through discrimination and harassment in the USA, according to Stop Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (APPI) Hate.
“Stop AAPI Hate” is a coalition launched March 19, 2020 to track and respond to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning and child bullying against Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States.
While the most prevalent form of discrimination is verbal harassment and physical assault, the coalition stated that Filipinos are the third largest ethnic group targeted in this regard, noting that women, youth, and the elderly were the most affected.
RELATED STORY: PH diplomat becomes latest victim of Asian hate in New York
The coalition, in its report from March 19, 2020, to February 28, 2021, noted that such violence has been continuing for centuries against Asians and was highlighted during the pandemic.
The hate groups usually target the elderly including women in grocery stores or banks., California-based Filipino-American historian Kirby Araullo said, adding that many Filipino-Americans in the United States are still in denial that they are susceptible targets of racism and racist attacks.
While they were once considered Caucasian in Louisiana state, “racial classification of Filipinos changed/evolved over the years,” Araullo said, adding “Before the Chinese Exclusion Act, Japanese Exclusion Act in the 1800s and the broader Asian Exclusion Act by 1924, Filipinos were considered Asian. But since the Philippines was a US territory, there were many loopholes and suddenly Filipinos became Pacific Islanders. That’s why there are many Filipinos who are confused whether we’re Asians or Pacific Islanders, but technically we’re both.”
READ ON: 70-year-old Filipino gets ‘black eye’ in California park hate crime
The Stop AAPI Hate report highlighted the top U.S. states where these incidents occurred including California, New York, Washington and Texas. It also noted that California has the highest population of Asians and Asian-Americans in the country. (AW)
