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Up To Date

Violence Against Asian Americans | Coronavirus Q&A

By Steve Kraske,
Danie Alexander, Zach Wilson, Mackenzie Martin
Published March 19, 2021 at 5:15 PM CDT
Authorities investigate a fatal shooting at a massage parlor, late Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Woodstock, Ga. Officials say 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, of Woodstock, Georgia, has been captured hours after multiple people were killed in shootings at three Atlanta-area massage parlors.
Mike Stewart
/
AP
Authorities investigate a fatal shooting at a massage parlor late Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Woodstock, Ga. Twenty-one-year-old Robert Aaron Long, of Woodstock, Georgia, was arrested hours after eight people were killed at three Atlanta-area massage parlors.

Asian Americans from Kansas and Missouri respond to the increased violence and racism they are seeing plus we provide answers to your COVID-19 questions.

Segment 1, beginning at 1:00: The escalating violence and discrimination against people of Asian descent is resonating in Kansas and Missouri.

The mass shooting in the Atlanta area Tuesday cast a spotlight on a problem that’s been festering for months amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In Kansas City, some Asian-owned businesses are seeing business fall off and local Asian officials are asking leaders in both states to call attention to the violence and condemn it.

  • Fanny Fang (D-Manhattan), former candidate for the Riley County Commission
  • Rui Xu (D), represents District 25 in the Kansas House of Representatives

Segment 2, beginning at 27:41: Vaccinations are underway, tempting some to abandon CDC health protocols. However, the presence of COVID-19 variants make it "vitally important to continue to do those things so we can help decrease the spread," says Dr. Dana Hawkinson.

Up To Date asked the public to send us questions about the coronavirus, COVID-19 and vaccinations, then opened the phone lines for even more queries. When it comes to the three vaccines authorized for emergency use, all are displaying success at "preventing hospitalization, severe disease and death," according to Dr. Hawkinson, who added, "whichever one you can get, go ahead and get."

  • Dr. Dana Hawkinson, Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Control, The University of Kansas Health System

Fanny Fang was incorrectly introduced as a "former candidate for the Kansas legislature." The introduction should have said that Ms. Fang was a former candidate for county commissioner in Riley County, Kansas.

Tags
Up To Date Talk ShowAsian AmericansRacismviolenceDiscriminationKansas LegislatureCoronavirusinfectious diseasevaccinesmedicinepublic health
Steve Kraske
When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
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Danie Alexander
As senior producer of Up To Date, I want our listeners to hear familiar and new voices that shine light on the issues and challenges facing the myriad communities KCUR serves, and to expose our audiences to the wonderful and the creative in the Kansas City area. Just as important to me is an obligation to mentor the next generation of producers to ensure that the important conversations continue. Reach me at alexanderdk@kcur.org.
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Zach Wilson
As Up To Date’s senior producer, I construct daily conversations that give our listeners context to the issues of our time. I strive to provide a platform that holds those in power accountable, while also spotlighting the voices of Kansas City’s creatives and visionaries that may otherwise go unheard. Email me at zach@kcur.org.
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Mackenzie Martin
Whether it’s something happening right now or something that happened 100 years ago, some stories don’t fit in the short few minutes of a newscast. As a podcast producer and reporter at KCUR Studios, I help investigate questions and local curiosities in a way that brings listeners along for adventures with plot twists and thought-provoking ideas. Sometimes there isn’t an easy answer in the end – but my hope is that we all leave with a greater understanding of the city we live in. Reach me at mackenzie@kcur.org.
See stories by Mackenzie Martin