HomeChinese AmericanWash Your Hands and #WashTheHate: AAPI Celebrities Join Forces to Fight COVID-19...
Don't Be Fooled by Gift Card Scams

Wash Your Hands and #WashTheHate: AAPI Celebrities Join Forces to Fight COVID-19 Discrimination

States and cities throughout the United States have begun to lift their shelter-in-place orders. For many Americans, this means more freedom, but for Asian Americans facing increased discrimination and violence since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the US, it means more fear. A social media campaign called #WashTheHate is hoping to address that fear.

Many Asian Americans are concerned about their health and physical safety amidst the lifting of shelter-in-place orders. #WashTheHate is rolling out a national public service announcement timed with the reopening of the country. The goal of the PSA, according to a press release, is to combat anti-Asian hate and discrimination.

#WashTheHate PSA released on May 13.

#WashTheHate launched in March after a series of violent attacks on Asian Americans. The campaign released several videos that showed Asian American celebrities and leaders washing their hands in accordance with CDC guidelines while discussing their how the pandemic has impacted their personal lives.

The PSA asks viewers to emphasize with Asian Americans who have experienced discrimination and violence because of the pandemic. It calls for “unity, not division” during these “unprecendent times.”

The video features celebrities like actress Celia Au (Wu Assassins, Nora From Queens), actor Tzi Ma (Mulan, Rush Hour), Boba Guys co-founder Andrew Chau and several others.

“As someone who’s come face to face with COVID-related bigotry, I understand the concern that many Asian Americans feel as the country begins to reopen and we start stepping back into the world,” Tzi Ma said in a press release. “We hope this PSA allows the public to see this situation from a different perspective while underscoring the need for solidarity during this critical time.”

In March, several Asian American celebrities filmed themselves washing their hands and discussing Asian American discrimination during the pandemic.

During times war, economic downturn or disease, certain groups of people are often singled out and blamed. Au said that we must be careful not to make the same mistake.

“Throughout history, there’s been a tendency to single out and cast blame on certain groups of people during difficult times. We must be vigilant in preventing this from happening again, not only to our Asian American Pacific Islander community, but to any community,” Au said in a press release. “This PSA reinforces the need to stop bigotry and create solidarity, so that we can all come out of this pandemic standing stronger than ever before.” 

In order to properly follow social distancing guidelines, each celebrity shot their portion of the PSA in their homes on their smartphones.

“A self-shot spot is usually the result of creative experimentation but, in this case, it was an absolute necessity,” Telly Wong, Campaign Director of #WashTheHate and IW Group Chief Content Officer, said in a press release. “We needed to get this message out promptly, and this was the only way to do it. Our PSA was the result of a group of amazing individuals working together to address and elevate a serious concern within our community.”

AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Check out our new Instagram account. Go to our  Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Please consider interning, joining our staff or submitting a story. 

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Latest

Worth the Time

Must Read

Regular Features

Latest

Discover more from AsAmNews

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading