On Tuesday, R&B singer Summer Walker faced backlash after posting a video on Instagram related to COVID-19, commonly known as the coronavirus.

The video was meant to depict Chinese people supposedly "spreading" the virus intentionally. Walker captioned the post, "That's some trifling nasty ass shit."

Walker was quickly accused of being xenophobic and spreading misinformation about the coronavirus, with many pointing out that the video was fake and the actual footage was from two years ago.

Walker's response only fueled the backlash, as she appeared unapologetic and called the people criticizing her "so dumb." Walker even stated that she was only deleting the post "for [her] label" rather than acknowledging that she did anything wrong.

Despite Summer Walker's claim that she is not racist, her posting this video is certainly racist and xenophobic. At the very least, her actions were irresponsible considering how racism against Asian Americans has seen a significant increase since the outbreak of the virus.

Especially considering Walker's status and reach, her post only encourages the anti-Asian sentiments that have emerged out of fear of the virus. Videos like the one Walker posted perpetuate the idea that Chinese people are infected and are at fault for spreading the disease.

In the United States, in particular, this belief can extend to anyone who might be mistaken for Chinese, i.e. most East and Southeast Asian Americans. Walker completely missed the point in her response to the backlash.

Her insistence that the video is still "nasty" regardless shows a lack of understanding for why people accused her of being xenophobic in the first place, as well as insensitivity to those who might be impacted by the circulation of videos such as this one.

Seeing people like Summer Walker, who has a substantial fanbase and over two million followers on Instagram, contributing to the anti-Asian racism that has appeared in the midst of the coronavirus is extremely disappointing.

In a time where people have come to fear the spread of this virus, it is particularly important to remember that caution should not equate to racism and that the virus is not a valid reason for prejudice or discrimination.