A year ago this month, Eddie Song was accosted by a stranger at a Costco in New York City. The man accused him of spreading the coronavirus and threatened to punch him in the face. It was a clarifying moment for Song, a Korean American entrepreneur who grew up in the city. He later witnessed people harass other Asians too.

The episodes marked the start of a wave of anti-Asian incidents that have spread across the United States. Asians have reported being harassed, threatened and even injured by people falsely blaming them for the spread of COVID-19, which was first detected in China. Then-President Donald Trump inflamed the racist backlash by referring to COVID-19 as the “China virus.” 

Read more at The Center for Public Integrity.