Racism against South Asians soars online with rise of Harris, Usha Vance

Racism against South Asians has skyrocketed over the last year, despite growing representation of the community through Vice President Harris and Usha Vance, the wife of Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio). 

A recent report from Stop AAPI Hate found that the number of anti-South Asian slurs, slogans and phrases increased from nearly 23,000 to more than 46,000 between January 2023 and August 2024. 

“We are extremely alarmed by the wave of hate that South Asian communities are facing today, both on and offline,” said Manjusha Kulkarni, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and executive director of AAPI Equity Alliance. 

“South Asian people make up the fastest growing segment of the Asian American and Pacific Islander population,” Kulkarni added. “With the upcoming election giving our communities even greater visibility, it’s critical that we sound the alarm.”

The report concludes that this rise in hate follows the national spotlighting of Usha Vance, the daughter of Indian immigrants, and Harris, whose mother immigrated from India. 

Online threats of violence toward Asian communities peaked in August, with 973 threats of violence in August 2024 alone. Seventy-five percent of these threats were directed at South Asian communities.

The report found that these online threats of violence toward Asian communities are outpacing threats of violence toward other groups. 

While online threats of violence increased by 52 percent toward Asian communities, they increased by 45 percent toward Jewish communities and by 14 percent toward Black communities.  

Stop AAPI Hate’s survey found that the online statements often reflected xenophobic and racist rhetoric, including the use of phrases such as “Go back to where you came from,” and claims that people of Indian descent are “taking over.” 

The latest report follows a March Stop AAPI Hate survey that found 43 percent of South Asians had experienced a hate act due to their race, ethnicity or nationality in 2023. 

Still, the rising hate seems to be a motivator for Asian American voters, said Chintan Patel, executive director of the South Asian Impact Foundation.

“As the fastest-growing voting blocs in many states, South Asians are turning out in powerful numbers,” said Patel. “The rise in hate has only strengthened our resolve to exercise our right at the ballot box, and vote for leaders who will fight for a more inclusive democracy and champion diversity as one of its greatest strengths.”

Meanwhile, congressional leaders such as Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said the rise in hate is, in part, due to xenophobic rhetoric. 

“It is horrifying to see increasing rates of South Asian hate, especially as a backlash to the successes of individuals in our community,” said Jayapal. “This xenophobia hasn’t appeared out of thin air, though. We can clearly trace it back to the hateful rhetoric and even slurs used by people in positions of power to otherize our community and so many others. That is why today we are sounding the alarm to say that as a country, we can and must do better.”