Jeremy Lin announced on Facebook on the morning of Thursday, Mar. 12 (Singapore time) that he and his foundation has donated RMB1 million (S$200,380.80) to securing medical equipment for Wuhan, he will also donate a further US$150k (S$210,406.50) to fighting Covid-19.

He also shared his thoughts on the situation surrounding Covid-19, calling for more focus to be placed on acts of empathy and hope amidst the virus outbreak.

Seeing hope through the darkness

Lin, a veteran of the National Basketball Association (NBA), is currently signed with the Chinese Basketball Association's Beijing Ducks.

He wrote in his Facebook post that despite the "darkness" the Covid-19 situation has brought, there is still hope.

He called on his Christian faith, writing that the "racism, xenophobia, attacks on Asians and decaying trust towards people" brought out by Covid-19 is "all heartbreaking and the opposite of God's kingdom".

He wrote that despite disappointing headlines, he still sees hope:

"I see doctors and nurses fighting the front lines in China, Korea, Japan, Iran, Italy and more.

I see people helping people in countries regardless of race or background."

In a separate tweet on Mar. 11, Lin had criticised Republican congressman Kevin McCarthy's tweet referring to Covid-19 as "the Chinese coronavirus", calling it "racist and disappointing".

He also praised the people worldwide fighting the virus, and chastised McCarthy for "promot[ing] the sickness of racism".

In times of crisis we want our leaders to inform with facts and unify, rather than divide. The comment is racist and disappointing...your defense of the word usage is ignorant. There are heroes globally fighting the virus, pls dont simultaneously promote the sickness of racism 🤝 https://t.co/HzavO6iYYq

— Jeremy Lin (@JLin7) March 11, 2020

Besides the examples of racism, Lin said in his Facebook post, there have been many stories of hope.

He gave examples of Guardian Angels, a vigilante group that is volunteering to patrol the streets of New York's Chinatown to protect Asian Americans from hate crimes related to Covid-19.

Lin also celebrated companies donating masks to the cause and the work of "bold frontline workers".

Calling for more celebration of empathy

Lin also encouraged his followers to shift their focus, writing, "Talk less out of hate, more out of empathy."

He raised examples of inspirational stories that have come out amid the outbreak, including the Chinese doctor who postponed his wedding to fight the virus before succumbing to it, who Lin called a "hero".

He also brought up the story of Meera Solanki, a 29-year-old woman in the United Kingdom who was knocked unconscious while defending her friend of Asian descent from an aggressive man who had yelled, "take your f*cking coronavirus back home".

Everyone can do their part

Lin announced that his basketball foundation is China has donated RMB1 million (S$200,380.80) toward medical equipment for Wuhan, and an additional US$150k (S$210,406.50) toward "fighting this virus".

He also encouraged those reading to do their parts in fighting the outbreak:

"Let's all do our part to quarantine, wash our hands vigorously, wear a protective mask to avoid germs spreading and do our part to share facts and preventative measures.

Stay together, fight on!"

Netizens respond

Lin post, which he also shared on Instagram, received a huge response on both platforms.

Many praised him for his positivity, including a number of prominent Asian and Asian-American personalities:

Others, however, pushed Lin to use his platform to send an even stronger message, and called out some of China's response and policies:

Lin's parents were originally from Taiwan, prior to immigrating to the United States.

When one user tried to push back at Lin's Instagram post, saying that "China f*cked sh*t up", Lin made sure to give him a piece of his mind, as well as a piece of advice to "put yourself in others shoes before you leave dumb comments online":

You can read Lin's full Facebook post here: