Discussing the Rise of Asian Hate Crimes with the President of UW-Milwaukee’s Asian Student Union

21-year-old Celina Xiong, President of UW-Milwaukee’s Asian Student Union, posted a message of grievance in response to the spa shooting in Atlanta to the ASU Instagram on March 31^st.

She shared this post, like many others, on all of her social media sights. Her hope was to let her community know that she cared and that she heard them. She has spent the last few weeks posting information to raise awareness about Asian hate crimes and to support her community. Her feed is also filled with allies who are posting the same material. But unlike her non-Asian followers, Xiong’s experience with Asian hate does not power off when she logs out of Instagram for the day.

On March 17^th eight people were shot and killed by 21-year-old suspect Robert Aaron Long in Atlanta, Georgia. Six of the eight people killed in the shootings that evening were women of Asian descent who were targeted at Asian-owned spas. Long has since been charged with eight counts of murder in connection with the attacks.

The hashtag #stopasianhate was created in reaction to this tragic event to bring attention to the horrific rise in Asian hate crimes within the past year.

Xiong entered the Zoom call from her Milwaukee home with an earnest smile and a bright greeting. She, like many other Asian-American students, has felt the intensity on Asian-hate rise since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic last year.

“So, since we are Asian, they all kind of group us together,” she explained, giving a nervous laugh at the end. “So, there was a lot of weird looks and whispering at the beginning. My dad is pretty paranoid, so we didn’t go out very much. But, when we did it was like ‘oh they probably have COVID’ and they would say it quietly but also loud enough for us to here. When we ride on the bus they move, they try to get away from us. It’s ridiculous. There is equal chance of either of us getting sick.”

Xiong is a first-generation Hmong-American woman who grew up speaking Hmong in her English-speaking school system. So, she is no stranger to discrimination. However, Xiong’s recent experiences are unfortunately quite common. She says that her Asian peers have felt the same shame and fear when going out in public since the Pandemic started.

“there was one day where I was just sitting at the union with my friends and there was a black man and a white man arguing about something to do with race. Asian’s were not mentioned in the argument until one of the said ‘oh well you should be worried about Asians because their bringing over COVID!’ My heart was racing, and I didn’t want to say anything because it was just my friend and I there. Two girls against three men would not have worked,” she gave another nervous laugh. “So, I told her that we had to move because I didn’t feel comfortable. I was scared.”

“You feel like you can’t step outside of your house without someone wanting to hurt you.”

According to the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism, Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Surge 145%, while overall hate crime Drops 6% in 2020.

Xiong has been feeling more on edge than usual after the horrifying shooting at the Atlanta spas. She and her peers have been feeling the heaviness of the massacre both in person and online.

“I was really shocked that it had happened,” she recalled. “The way that things are escalating is making me feel scared, confused and fear for my life in a way that I never have. Just because I am Asian.”

She has been using her platform on Instagram to share about the events. “On my timeline all you see is posts about the attacks, about GoFundMe’s, and about articles talking about Asian hate crimes because I want people to know.”

Xiong is also the President of UW-Milwaukee’s Asian Student Union, which also released a statement on their Instagram that Xiong wrote.

“That’s why I thought that as ASU President that it was important to release something to let people know that we do care and we do see what is going on. We talked about it and we are planning to host a Safe Spot sort of discussion for our Asian students and non-Asian student so they can join the conversation.”

The Asian Student Union is holding the “Safe Spot” conversation April 18^th at 6pm via Discord for UWM students to join and talk about their emotions and how to cope with the injustices faced by their community. The link for the event can be found on their Instagram page @asu_mke

Xiong also expressed the fatigue the social media had caused her in the aftermath of the Atlanta shooting.

“I had to step away from social media for a bit after it happened,” she sighed. “It was really damaging to my mental health. It felt like I really couldn’t do much. Spreading the word and the hashtags… they help but it still feels like you aren’t doing enough.”

“Social media nowadays is impactful. Id people see that millions are talking about something; they finally realize it’s a problem. But it is still damaging to your mental health to see that your own kind, people who look like you, are being attacked. So, I had to step away. But I felt bad. I thought if I wasn’t hashtagging and retweeting, what was I doing to be a part of the movement? But I had to do it for my own sanity. It hurt and I didn’t know how to cope.”

Xiong also elaborated on her experience as a campus and community leader during her first year as the ASU President.

“My experience has been pretty tough honestly because I feel a duty to help my community and also, I am the person who has to say something when something is going on. It’s been tough…” she trails off in thought and apologizes quickly.

“I’m sorry, just dealing with my own emotions and then having to put on a front and stay strong for everyone else that is going through this… We want everyone to know that we care…” she trails off again and moves the hair from her face.