The Stop Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Hate movement gained national attention in early 2020 when reports of Asian hate incidents surged, and the group signaled to people across the country that this was a movement to pay attention to. In 2021, rallies were organized to protest racial discrimination against Asian Americans. A large amount of protests took place in the Bay Area, particularly in Oakland.
The movement gained even more momentum on March 16, 2021 when eight people, six being women of Asian descent, were killed in Atlanta. The following months consisted of several nationwide protests. Former president Joe Biden signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law, which aimed to speed up the review of hate crimes throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular emphasis on Asian hate crimes. 2025 marked the Stop AAPI Hate movement’s fifth anniversary, and although the basis of the movement has remained consistent over time, it has broadened its message to fight against all forms of systemic racism.
Since 2020, the Stop AAPI Hate movement has received fewer violent incident reports yearly. However, a substantial amount of incidents still occur. A survey by Stop AAPI Hate found that 49 percent of AAPI adults reported experiencing a hate act in 2025. This statistic has remained largely steady in recent years, though it has seen a slight increase amid the political climate in which some elected officials, including President Donald Trump, have made advances that disadvantaged the movement. On May 9, 2025, the Trump Administration terminated a two million dollar grant with Stop AAPI Hate that was supplied by Congress during the pandemic. Overall, the movement has continued to grow and advocate for change. At the same time, as separate movements have grown, some have found an AAPI community outside of the movement. “I think the actions have changed more into community support,” Noah Laroia-Nguyen, an analog photography and creative arts teacher at Berkeley High School, said, “If you go to Chinatown in Oakland, or if you go to Chinatown in a lot of places now, there will usually be community groups that walk around regularly, which is a nice alternative to, in the height of the Stop Asian Hate stuff, where the police departments would send a cop on every corner, which was not a great solution.”
Beyond community efforts, the movement itself has shifted in focus over time. What began as a response to COVID-19 related discrimination developed into a movement advocating for resources, policies, and political recognition of AAPI communities. Stop AAPI Hate has put forward increasing amounts of data, research, policy, and community care.
As for BHS, there has been a significant growth in AAPI representation, reflecting some of the goals of the Stop AAPI Hate organization. Soon after the height of the movement, in 2022, BHS students sought to create an AAPI Literature class. “Asian teachers were trying to find a way to come together and have a collective response. And then Asian students were saying, ‘You know what? I love taking Chicano studies with Ms. Moreno. What about our Asian Pacific Islander community?’” Matthew Laurel, a BHS English teacher and former AAPI Literature teacher, said. Since its creation, AAPI Lit has continued to amplify Asian American works, reflecting the uplifting of voices and ideals of community highlighted by Stop AAPI Hate.
Society’s awareness of issues of Asian hate have also improved in recent years through the movement and attention Asian hate received. However, there is still more work to be done. “There’s still very prevalent casual racism that people kind of see as jokes, and they don’t see it as serious ... that’s definitely something that needs change,” Rohini Guha, a BHS junior, said.
Although Asian hate incidents still occur, the movement will continue striving to address issues and uplift Asian voices. The movement’s consistent work shows that what started as an urgent response to heightened AAPI hate during the pandemic has matured into a long-term fight for equity and community safety.