“I’ve had strangers cough at me.” “A passenger told me that I should go back to China.” “Someone spit three times towards my direction.”

These comments and others like them help open a powerful new advertisement from the Ad Council focused on combatting the spread of anti-Asian racism in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Produced together with Tigertail director Alan Yang, the spot is entitled “Fight the Virus. Fight the Bias | Love Has No Labels.”

The ad features chef Melissa King along with key workers such as a nurse and a firefighter discussing the abuse they’ve received, but also their continued efforts to help combat the virus and support their communities.

“My biggest fear is that all the stereotypes that we’ve worked so hard to break, are just going to be reversed — and I won’t let that happen.”

The ad comes after a sharp rise in anti-Asian discrimination in the US and amid President Trump using terms such as “kung flu” and “Chinese virus” to describe Covid-19. In April, a website set up for Asian Americans to report racist and xenophobic incidents, Stop AAPI Hate, received over 1,000 such reports in just over two weeks.

“I’m honored to be part of this campaign and to help tell real stories of API experiences in America, especially during a time that’s difficult for so many people across the country,” director Alan Yang told the Ad Council ahead of the ad’s launch. “I hope to do my best to represent our community and show that we’re stronger when we support each other and share our experiences honestly and compassionately with others.”