Lawmakers and experts, testifying before a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing today, called for a shift in public rhetoric surrounding Covid-19 and foreign policy as well as passing new hate crime legislation to address rising discrimination and violence against Asian Americans. The hearing was held after a deadly shooting spree in Georgia this week left 8 people dead, the majority of whom were Asian.
The Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act aims to address the rise in violence against Asian Americans through increasing oversight of Covid-related hate crimes at the Justice Department and providing support for state and local law enforcement agencies.
A study by advocacy group Stop AAPI Hate released Tuesday recorded 3,795 reports of hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders between March 19, 2020, and Feb. 28, 2021. The group emphasizes that the tally represents just a fraction of the number of incidents experienced by Asian Americans across the country. Read the full article here.
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