New study examines anti-Asian racism during pandemic
This is part of our Coronavirus Update series, in which Harvard specialists in epidemiology, infectious disease, economics, politics, and other disciplines offer insights into what the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak may bring. A new project in the Department of Sociology in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is studying the acute rise in anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vivian Shaw, a Harvard College fellow and co-principal investigator, launched the AAPI COVID-19 Project — the acronym stands for Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders — with professor and department chair Jason Beckfield. Shaw has spent nearly a decade researching large-scale natural and toxic disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant disaster and their impact on racial equality. “Because they have, on average, higher income and levels of education, people tend to pay less attention to Asian Americans during natural disasters. The current pandemic is...