Attacks against Asian-Americans have been in the spotlight recently across the country, and throughout the Bay Area. Governor Gavin Newsom spoke on Friday at the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco on the recent attacks in Atlanta and hate crimes against Asian Americans across the country.
Newsom noted how the pandemic has been used by some as a way to scapegoat Asian Americans and divide the population.
"As the cameras go away and we sort of move past this moment and we forget about Trump and we try to deal with Trump-ism, we have to be vigilant," Newsom said.
Race-based violence and oppression has a long history in California, a state with over 6.2 million residents of Asian Descent.
"The idea that we are today in 2021 still having conversations we were having in 1881 a year before the Chinese exclusion act in 1882 is painful and infuriating at the same time," Newsom said. "What the hell is wrong with us?"
The mass shooting this week targeting spas in Georgia has put these issues even more into the national spotlight.
A local group, Stop Asian American Pacific Islander Hate, has documented almost 3,800 verbal and physical attacks against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, 1,691 of which occurred in California. Newsom estimates the numbers could be 10 times higher than what’s being reported.
As schools open back up across the state, Newsom noted that classrooms will play a role in keeping kids safe from bullying.
"Just yesterday the state school board unanimously passed a curriculum around Ethnic Studies," said Newsom. "I think fundamentally that will advance this cause."
He also said those who perpetrate violence must be held accountable.