Medical Anthropologist Anahí Viladrich Addresses Why COVID Sparked Anti-Asian Hate and What to Do About It Anahí Viladrich (Photo courtesy of Viladrich) By Lida Tunesi As a medical anthropologist who studies race, ethnicity, and public health, Professor Anahí Viladrich (GC/Queens, Sociology) felt a need to speak out against the outbreak of stigma against Chinese and East Asian populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I was shocked by the stigmatizing discourse of the Trump administration,” Viladrich told The Graduate Center, “along with the hate-based messages, discrimination, and violence against Asian communities. I clearly found an escalating trend there and felt that I needed to understand it better, and contribute somehow to raising awareness about the root causes of the symbolic violence ingrained in white supremacy discourses and practices.”