Hate against Asians and Asian Americans is spreading like wildfire. Instances of racist speech surged by 900% on Twitter since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. This online hatred is also contributing to an increasing number of real-world incidents, including verbal attacks, racist messages, physical violence, and boycotts of Asian-owned businesses.

But hate is a virus we can fight.

We launched the “Respond2Racism” movement, to directly combat racism online and empower people by providing them with tools to address harassment in real life.

Our first project is the First Responder Twitter Bot, which automatically responds to COVID-19-incited racist tweets with videos that both educate the perpetrators and uplift Asian frontline workers. The bot also replies to those tweeting in support of Asians with tips on how to confront racism when they witness it in person.