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Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) has joined other top community organizations in lauding the signing of the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act into law by President Joe Biden. The president has consistently denounced the surge in racism against Asian Americans as “un-American.”
Remarked APIAVote Executive Director Christine Chen: “APIAVote applauds Congress for passing this legislation, and President Biden for signing the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law. This is one of the most transformative pieces of legislation aimed at supporting the Asian community in American history, and is an important step in confronting the alarming rise in anti-Asian violence occurring across the country.”
APIAVote (www.apiavote.org) is a national nonpartisan organization that works with partners to mobilize Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in electoral and civic participation. It envisions “a world that is inclusive, fair, and collaborative, and where AAPI communities are self-determined, empowered, and engaged.”
Biden enacted the bill on May 20, a few days after the House of Representatives passed the Senate-approved version of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act with an overwhelming 364-62 bipartisan vote.
The bill was introduced by Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Representative Grace Meng (D-NY) in the House, and incorporated the Jabara-Heyer No Hate Act. The bill, as amended by bipartisan lawmakers, will address the current rise in anti-Asian hate and improve the reporting of hate crimes.
APIAVote Executive Director Christine Chen noted: “This law will require the Department of Justice to expedite the review of COVID-19-related hate crimes, ensure online hate crimes and hate incident reporting are language accessible, expand public awareness campaigns designed to increase awareness and outreach to victims, disaggregate victims’ protected characteristics, and expand restorative justice practices and alternative sentencing.”
“These initiatives,” she added, “will help combat the historic undercounting of hate crimes by the Asian American community and improve the overall infrastructure needed for hate crime reporting, data collection, and justice.”
Partnership
APIAVOTE Executive Director Chen said APIAVote and its partner-network of community based organizations look forward to working with state and local officials, Congress, and the Biden-Harris administration to continue to ensure that the voices and interests of AAPIs are included and addressed.
“We must continue working to incorporate AAPI history into our K-12 curriculums, securing the freedom to vote by passing the For the People Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Act, and increasing appropriations to programs that support local AAPI communities,” she added.
She acknowledged that the anti-Asian and hate-based attacks the law aims to address are not new. ”While the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has shed a light on anti-Asian racism, we know systemic racism and white supremacy are issues that have long impacted people and communities based on race, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical ability, language, and/or immigration status,” she pointed out.
APIAVOTE Executive Director Chen said that dismantling systemic racism will not happen overnight. “But we are grateful to add the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act as another tool at our disposal to uplift and empower our communities now,” she added.
