(Relevant) The FBI says that in 2020, hate crime reports soared to their highest levels in 12 years, mostly fueled by attacks that targeted Black and Asian people. It was another grueling narrative to add to a year that suffered from a divisive presidential election, a frustrated response to the COVID-19 pandemic and economic tumult.
All told, the FBI tallied 7,759 hate crimes in 2020, a six percent jump from the previous years. It was the highest number reported since 2008, when the FBI counted 7,783 hate crimes. It’s the sixth time in the last seven years that the number has climbed — a 42 percent increase since 2014.