An elderly Asian woman who received nearly $ 1 million in GoFundMe after she fought someone who attacked her at random is planning to donate all the money to her community to combat racism, her family announced.
The violent incident against Xiao Zhen Xie was one of many recent attacks against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in America. Stop AAPI Hate tracked almost 3,800 discriminatory incidents that occurred against this community from March 19, 2020 to February 28, 2021.
John Chen, Xie’s grandson who organized the fundraiser, announced plans to donate all the money yesterday.
“When we visited our grandmother yesterday and today, her overall physical and mental health improved. Your eye is no longer swollen to the point that you cannot open it. She is now starting to feel optimistic again and is in a good mood. She said that we should not stick to racism and we should fight to the death, if necessary, ”he wrote in a statement.
“She has also stated several times to donate all funds generated in this GoFundMe back to the Asian American community to combat racism. She insists on making that decision by saying that this problem is bigger than her. “
GoFundMe, which was created with the goal of raising $ 50,000 to cover Xie’s medical expenses, has now raised more than $ 900,000.
Xie, 76, took a piece of wood and struggled after Steven Jenkins, 39, punched her in the face last week. Xie’s family said she suffered from two black eyes, a swollen wrist, PTSD and more after the attack.
In a viral video of the incident, Xie is seen holding an ice pack against her head while Jenkins is on a stretcher. According to CBS News, police said Jenkins also attacked another woman, 83-year-old Ngoc Pham, shortly before meeting Xie. He was arrested on the spot.
Xie has lived in San Francisco for almost 30 years, according to the local CBS affiliate in San Francisco.
Many experts said the increase in anti-Asian violence was triggered in part by racist statements linked to the coronavirus pandemic, especially from Republican political leaders and former President Donald Trump.
After a mass shootout in Atlanta last week – in which six Asian women and two others were killed – there were widespread protests across the United States to combat anti-Asian racism.