In recent weeks, there’s been a spike in racist violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities across the U.S., specifically targeting elders. Calls for action have since flooded social media and garnered the attention of celebrities, from tennis player Naomi Osaka to actors like John Cho. And though initially underreported in mainstream media, the anti-Asian violence and harassment has started getting the attention it deserves. 

For more on COVID-19’s toll on the physical and mental health of AAPI communities, The Takeaway spoke with Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder and director of AAPI Data and professor at the University of California - Riverside, and Leezel Tanglao, multimedia journalist and project director of the Tayo Help Desk, a project of the Filipino Young Leaders Program. 

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