Through a program organized by area residents, hundreds of volunteers have begun chaperoning seniors in Oakland's Chinatown community. Research has shown that bystander training helps defuse potentially violent confrontations while cultivating shared responsibility for community safety. Programs encourage and empower people across race and ethnicity to step forward for one another. That's crucial if narratives that scapegoat or demonize any group are to be overcome. Communities also need a straightforward way for victims to report incidents, including harassment that may not be a crime, and to get culturally and linguistically sensitive help. The pandemic has increased depression, anxiety and stress across the board, but the rise in hate against Asian Americans is compounding our emotional turmoil. An L.A. County initiative, L.A. vs. Hate, is making a difference. It has created a network of 100 local organizations to provide victims of hate with mental health, legal and other support. Since more than 40 languages are spoken among Asian American and Pacific Islanders in Los Angeles, more investment is needed so organizations can tailor support to specific communities. Crucially, L.A. vs. Hate goes beyond helping individuals. It analyzes and tracks acts of racist hostility and violence and promotes racial healing. The organization has expanded the 211 social services referral helpline, where those who are victims of, or witness to, hate can find help. It also created a website, LAvsHate.org, for reporting acts of bias and racism. The result: an initiative that is cultivating a multiracial movement to stop the normalization of hate. Education is also critical. School districts must promote robust ethnic studies programs from at least as early as kindergarten and continue them through high school. Young people must grow up understanding the historical contributions and struggles of people of color, who make up nearly 40% of the U.S. population. Americans need to understand the pattern of "othering" Asian Americans and making them scapegoats when the country feels threatened. This includes the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which banned Chinese immigration to the U.S.; Japanese American internment during World War II; post-9/11 racial profiling of South Asians and Muslims; and the blame being heaped on Asians for the spread of the coronavirus that has led to the recent spike in hate. Earlier this month, the Asian American Education Project was launched with the release of 50 lesson plans on Asian American history.