Weaponizing Racism in the Wake of COVID-19

Michele Goodwin, UCI Chancellor’s Professor of law writes, “The recent attacks associated with COVID-19 reveal the dangerous reaches of fear, racism, and xenophobia in our society, especially in times of health crises and national security threats. In this instance, the horrific rise of hate-motivated crimes against Chinese Americans has much to do with racialized fears associated with the spread of COVID-19—magnified all the more by American politicians, including President Donald Trump, irresponsibly referring to it as the “Chinese Virus.””