The proposed policies were announced amid criticism that President Joe Biden isn’t sufficiently responding to the surge in hate crimes against Asian Americans.
What We Know:
- The urgency of incorporating these initiatives is especially important after a mass shooting claimed the lives of six Asian American women earlier this month. The attacks prompted community protests local to the incident and other demonstrations in cities across the U.S. The Biden Administration has announced that they have plans to allocate $50 million for Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. The money will also go towards a multiagency initiative set to address rising hate crimes against the community.
- Additionally, funds will also be allocated to establish a COVID-19 Equity Task Force in order to address xenophobia against AAPI. The most vocal members of Congress expressing concern for the lack of ethnic Asian representation in the Biden administration are both democrats, Mazie Hirono and Tammy Duckworth. Both senators have vowed to oppose any other Biden nominees until a significant plan has been unveiled to address AAPI issues. At the moment, Biden is due to appoint a coordinator for these incoming policies across the federal government.
- The administration previously believed it had secured credibility among AAPI with Biden’s selection of Kamala Harris as Vice President of the United States. Harris’s mother emigrated from India to the United States at around 19 years of age. White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki, informed reporters on Tuesday that the administration will meet with various AAPI leaders to listen to their input on how they can play the most constructive role possible in the community.
- In the latest of assaults against AAPI, a 65-year-old Asian woman was kicked in the stomach while bystanders stood by and watched. The incident took place in New York City, and the attacker has since been apprehended and arrested. The arrest was made on Wednesday, and the man responsible for the attack has been identified as Brandon Elliot. Elliot is being charged with two counts of assault in the second degree as a hate crime and one count of attempted assault in the first degree as a hate crime.
There are currently 20 million Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the United States, which is nearly 6% of the total population.
