National Museum of American History
1300 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC
As COVID-19 spread through the U.S., violence against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islanders community increased exponentially due to racial scapegoating and Chinatown businesses, already damaged due to the pandemic, suffered further setbacks. This showcase display features the “Fight the Virus, NOT the People” COVID-19 Banner, a 20-by-4-foot red vinyl poster, donated by the San Francisco Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA). Representatives of the CCBA and members of the Chinese American community carried the banner during an anti-Asian hate March Feb. 29, 2020, one of the first U.S. rallies to protest COVID-19-related hate crimes against Asian Americans. The march also called for support of the Chinatown small business community.
