My brothers and I are Mexican-Filipino, with our mother being from the Philippines and our father from Mexico. We grew up comfortably with our family with little to no incidents of racism.

However, these past few weeks, things began to change towards the Asian community as we're pinned as scapegoats for the spread of Covid-19. The blame was always there but it took to reality as anti-Asian hate crimes and protests against Asian hate began flooding the news and social media. Our mother has been experiencing acts of anti-Asian racism frequently.

The anti-Asian acts against my mother consist of mainly white women flicking the bird at her in their cars. My mother responds that people like that are dumb and pushes her concerns over my brothers and me, asking if we're being harassed and doing okay with all of this. We are, of course, in our own little bubble because we don't have the features of most Asian people. The hurtful acts on my mother are difficult to hear but my family and I are thankful that it is only that.

It's frustrating because she's a target for her features and her small size. As mixed children, we have the height advantage to fend for ourselves if anything bad happens. We cope by subconsciously agreeing as a family unit to protect mom at all costs. Being in her presence is how we give ourselves peace of mind. I can't imagine how others in the Asian community are coping with anti-Asian hate, filled with the uneasiness of "Will I be harassed today?"

Spread the word that, along with the fact that Black Lives Matter, Asian lives should be protected as well from hateful people. Protect the ones you love.