Anti-Asian Racism in the Time of COVID-19: The Work of Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom

Abstract

I n 2020, the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic, overall hate crimes in the United States decreased by 6%, while those targeting individuals of Asian descent rose by 45% (Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, 2021; Vinopal, 2021). My knowledge of this trend and self-reflection inspired me to consider the pedagogical usefulness of the autobiographical graphic comic art form as a way to explore racism and human rights issues with students in the K–12 art classroom. This commentary extends from this thinking, and considers the use of Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom’s autobiographical graphic novel, Palimpsest: Documents From a Korean Adoption, to address anti-Asian racism in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.