As she stared at several signs, including many that said “Stop Asian Hate,” 19-year-old Janet Wang took some comfort in seeing a diverse crowd of different skin colors.

“I’m heartbroken that we have to stand here right now," Wang said. “It’s just great to see so many people come out and support us."

She was among the hundreds at Brooklyn Borough Hall Sunday, standing in solidarity not only to show support for the Asian-American community, but to express outrage over the murders in Georgia, which left eight people dead this past Tuesday. Six of the victims were women of Asian descent.

“It was a racist and misogynistic attack, and it makes us feel really angry, and now is the time to stand up for each other and for everyone else who could have been victims as well,” said Wang.

Wang, who grew up in Brooklyn and who now lives on Staten Island, says she was exposed to anti-Asian racism early in life when her some of classmates met her parents, who only started to learn English in their 20s after moving to the U.S. from China.

“They would just meet my parents, they’ll be like, ‘Oh their English is kinda funny,'” Wang explained.

According to the group Stop Asian American and Pacific Islander Hate, there have been more than 3,800 reported attacks against Asian-American across the U.S. since the start of the pandemic.

Wang told NY1 it has sparked even greater concern not only for her family’s safety but for all Asian-Americans.

“Throughout my entire life, people make fun of my parents’ accents or their language or stuff like that. It hasn’t really ended, but it has been exacerbated by the virus,” Wang said.

Now a sophomore at Hunter College studying environmental science and urban studies, Wang says she is currently taking a class about Asians in the United States, illuminating much of the country’s dark history when it comes to racism against Asian-Americans.

“I’ve learned so much about anti-Asian sentiment in this country, including the Chinese Exclusion Act, alien land laws, and it’s just given me a big insight into how the U.S. has treated Asians throughout history,” Wang said.

Moving forward, Wang hopes communities of color will continue to stick up for each other in the fight to end racism and all violence that is fueled by hate.