The mass shooting last month in Atlanta horrified the country. It left eight people dead, including six women of Asian descent. As families and friends of the victims mourned, a University at Buffalo student decided to do what she could to help.

What You Need To Know

  • The country has seen a disturbing rise in anti-Asian hate crimes over the past year
  • UB students collaborated to create short film tackling the issue
  • They want to address and eliminate the biases Asians face
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"Anti-Asian racism is not a new thing, especially after the pandemic started here in the United States. It has been on a horrible rise, fueled first of all by the pandemic and also by the previous president's administration," said Qinghua Chen.

Chen is a doctoral candidate and presidential scholar at the University at Buffalo. She was born in China and is in Buffalo on a student visa. She worked with UB doctoral students Yueqiu Zhang and Shuyi Zhao as well as university faculty to create a short film aimed at addressing and eliminating biases Asians face. 

It's called Your Bias Hurts Me.

Chen said, "The most frequent biases they may receive would be something about their ethnicity so for example, my ethnicity is not a virus, hate is. So when I talk about the biases, it's not only about the biases itself, I am also telling you how you can correct it." 

More than 100 people from all backgrounds were recruited to participate in the film showing their solidarity with standing against violence and hate crimes targeting the Asian community.

An analysis of official preliminary police data by the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, reveals anti-Asian hate crimes in 16 of America’s largest cities increased 145% in 2020. Chen included her young daughter in the film to make her aware at an early age. 

"I need to prepare her in case she may come across that unpleasant experience," she said.

Her message is that judgment and labels can hurt people. She also believes no one should be considered a minority because everyone has a temporary time on Earth and urges people to spend it treating others like human beings.

"The reality is there is still violence and biases and hate crimes, let's just fight together," said Chen.

Chen also worked with Delong Zhong, the film editor, and has a special thanks to UB President Dr. Satish Tripathi, Dr. Julie Gorlewski, who is the chair of the Learning and Instruction Department, her doctoral advisor Dr. Claire Cameron, and the chair of the Educational Leadership and Policy Department, Dr. Nathan Daun-Barnett.

Chen also created a short video at the beginning of the pandemic to support those battling COVID-19 in China, and another video showing art that children across the world made during the pandemic.