Asian Hate Crimes: Korean American Singer Eric Nam Explains Internalized Racism

Korean American Singer-Songwriter Eric Nam is one of many celebrities speaking out to condemn growing hate crimes against Asian Americans. “Being born and raised in Atlanta, this terror attack really felt a lot closer to home in many ways,” recalls Nam. “It was very shocking.”

In March, a deadly shooting spree at three Atlanta-area spas in Atlanta left at least six Asian women dead.

“It was a really atrocious event that I think has really shaken myself but a lot of my friends and family in the community in Atlanta, but also around the world for anybody that identifies as Asian, Asian American or as a friend to Asians,” says Nam.

Since the pandemic began, attacks against Asian Americans have skyrocketed. For months, news reports and viral videos have captured harassment and assaults against Asians, many of them elderly. Nearly 3,800 anti-Asian incidents have been reported in the last year, according to Stop AAPI Hate, a nonprofit that tracks discrimination Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.

It has exposed racial and other inequalities in the U.S. While the Asian American community has, on the whole, achieved economic success, recent events have debunked the “ model minority” myth and exposed racism the community faces.

Pressure is mounting on U.S. institutions from corporate America to the White House to take action against Asian American hate. 
“I think having these conversations is incredibly important,” says Nam, “We need for this to be a constant conversation.”

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