Countering Xenophobia Through Teaching and Digital Resources: #IAmNotAVirus

With the spread of COVID-19, there are increasing levels of xenophobia and racist incidents toward the Asian American community. Today the media is widely covering this issue, and it is important for educators and library workers to consider ways to mitigate xenophobia through teaching practices. 

Here are selected resources that you may wish to add into a LibGuide or a resource page to highlight that “coronavirus racism” is real and dangerous in your online sessions:

Yellow Peril Teach-In: Resources to Address Coronavirus Racism –  This crowd-sourced “Yellow Peril Teach-In” bibliography contains “textual and digital resources to provide easy access to material useful for teach-ins, talking points, and classroom teaching.” These resources may come in handy to share with students and researchers looking at how COVID-19 is impacting Asian American communities, or understanding the history of anti-Asian sentiments in the United States.

Coronavirus: Protect Yourself and Stand Against Racism – The teaching idea outline offers resources and pedagogical strategies to incorporate discussions on the issue of racism and the coronavirus. You can host these discussions in a virtual forum and have students respond to important questions such as “Whose responsibility is it to challenge coronavirus-related racism and discrimination?”

Anti-Asian Racism and COVID-19: For those teaching K-12, a resource guide is available for students to explore anti-Asian racism. The site includes lesson resources, media responses, primary documents, and other educational materials. 

Credo Reference: You may want students to view the Mind Map of xenophobia and read the related terms and concepts. From there, students can make connections between these concepts and terms and the rise of coronavirus racism, and brainstorm together on ways to mitigate xenophobia and racism.

If you are a library worker, you may want to look at the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association’s (APALA)’s statement condemning xenophobia and racism. All of us must collectively support each other and denounce these horrific incidents connecting to xenophobia and racist actions. We can do that through learning, teaching, and sharing important resources on these matters.