Five years ago, in the aftermath of the mass shootings that struck Atlanta-area spas three words appeared on the breaking-news ticker as I followed coverage of the horrifying events.

Though Asian women comprised six of the eight victims, news networks declared the attacked were “not racially motivated.”

The murders magnified the terror and sorrow emanating from thousands of anti-Asian attacks arising in the months preceding.

Following the outbreak of COVID-19, bias incidents and assaults against Asian Americans soared to alarming heights as demagogues on the streets and in high office inflamed xenophobic fear and animosity.…