As NPR’s Code Switch reported earlier this month, anti-Asian discrimination has been on the rise since the emergence of coronavirus. As anxiety increases around the world, reports of racist abuse are showing up on social media daily, many of which are hashtagged #IAmNotAVirus. (In France, #JeNeSuisPasUnVirus has been trending.)
In objection to the spike in anti-Asian sentiment, artists, illustrators and photographers are hitting back in one of the only forums freely accessible to all during this time of social distancing and quarantine: Instagram.