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Anti-Asian hate crime bill gets senate nod

A demonstrator takes part in a protest against Asian hate in New York, the United States

The Senate approved the bill in a 94-1 vote and sent it to the House on Thursday, which will soon take up their version of the legislation…reports Asian Lite News

The US Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass a bill combating surging hate crimes against Asian Americans during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Senate approved the bill in a 94-1 vote and sent it to the House on Thursday, which will soon take up their version of the legislation. The lone nay vote was cast by Missouri GOP senator Josh Hawley, Xinhua news agency reported.

“By passing this bill we say to the Asian American community that the government is paying attention to them, has heard their concerns and will respond to protect them,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat from New York, where anti-Asian violence has especially been running high.

People take part in a rally against anti-Asian hate crimes in San Mateo, California, the United States, on Feb. 27, 2021. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

Sponsored by Hawaii’s Democratic senator Mazie Hirono and New York’s Democratic congresswoman Grace Meng, the bill requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to designate an official to review coronavirus-related hate crimes. Hirono and Meng are both Asian Americans.

The bill also directs the DOJ and the Department of Health and Human Services to issue guidance raising awareness of hate crimes amid the pandemic, and work with other agencies to establish an online platform for reporting those crimes.

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Hirono said that the bill’s passage “sends a clear and unmistakable message of solidarity” to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

The bill gained momentum after six women of Asian descent were killed in mass shootings in the Atlanta area in March.

People take part in a rally against anti-Asian hate crimes in San Mateo, California, the United States, on Feb. 27, 2021. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

Senators locked in a final deal on the bill late Wednesday night, allowing for several GOP-proposed amendments to get a vote. All of those changes would need 60 votes in favour in the now evenly-divided Senate, and it turned out none of them got added.

Susan Collins, GOP senator from Maine who managed to work with Hirono to change the language of the bill over the administration’s guidance, said that with the passage of the bill, “we can send an unmistakably strong signal that crimes targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in our country will not be tolerated.”

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Biden to curb anti-Asian hate

US President Joe Biden

Latest announcements are additional steps in the Biden Administration’s work to advance equity for Asian American …reports Asian Lite News

The White House on Tuesday announced new actions including additional funding and a cross-agency initiative to curb the alarming rise in violence and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Today’s announcements are additional steps in the Biden Administration’s work to advance equity for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities through a whole-of-government approach to racial justice,” the White House said, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to a White House fact sheet, President Joe Biden will “appoint a permanent Director to lead the Initiative in the coordination of policies across the federal government impacting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.”

As part of the initiative, the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department reconvened its Hate Crimes Enforcement and Prevention Initiative with a focus on the surge in anti-Asian hate crimes in the country.

People take part in a rally against anti-Asian hate crimes in San Mateo, California, the United States, on Feb. 27, 2021. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

The FBI will also publish a new interactive page that documents hate crimes against the AAPI community and begin holding training events to educate agents on recognizing and reporting anti-Asian bias.

Also read:Rally against anti-Asian hate in New York

The Department of Health and Human Services is providing nearly $50 million from the American Rescue Plan to assist AAPI survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

The Covid-19 Health Equity Task Force, founded in January, has also established a subcommittee on Structural Drivers of Health Inequity and Xenophobia, the White House said. This subcommittee will be specifically focused on combating the surge in anti-Asian bias during the coronavirus pandemic.

The National Endowment for the Humanities also launched a virtual library to expand resources and provide information on Asian-American history.

Also read:UN chief Guterres upset over anti-Asian violence

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Rally against anti-Asian hate in New York

A demonstrator takes part in a protest against Asian hate in New York, the United States

Hundreds rallied and marched on Saturday in Flushing, a major Asian community in Queens borough…reports Asian Lite News

Hundreds of New Yorkers from different races rallied against racism and violence on Asian-Americans, according to the ANSWER Coalition, a protest umbrella group consisting of anti-war and civil rights organisations.

The protesters rallied and marched on Saturday in Flushing, a major Asian community in Queens borough, reports Xinhua news agency.

A number of speakers shared their personal stories about racism and violence, while participants chanted slogans for much of the time.

The rally in New York was held simultaneously with those from over 60 cities in more than 25 states across the US, all aiming to stop anti-Asian violence and China-bashing, said the ANSWER Coalition.





ANSWER Coalition(Twitter)

“The opportunistic scapegoating of China during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with the intensity by which China is deemed the enemy and adversary of the US, has driven a widespread Sinophobic sentiment nationally,” it added.

The Asian-American community suffers the brunt of the hatred fomented as a weapon of war, it added.

New Yorkers have held more than 10 rallies since the shootings in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 16, in which six Asians were killed.

Also read:Chicago sees massive rally against racism