League Supports H.Res 908, Denouncing Asian American discrimination

The League joined a letter drafted on behalf of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), the Democracy Initiative, and more than 150 undersigned organizations to denounce the continued increase in racist attacks and discrimination against the Asian American community, and to express our support for H.Res. 908, introduced by Representative Grace Meng (D-NY-6) and its Senate companion to be introduced by Senators Kamala Harris (D-CA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) which condemn all forms of anti-Asian sentiment related to COVID19. 

April 16, 2020

Dear Member of Congress:

On behalf  of  the  National  Council  of  Asian  Pacific  Americans  (NCAPA), the  Democracy Initiative, and the undersigned organizations, we are writing to denounce the continued increase in racist  attacks  and  discrimination  against  the  Asian  American  community, and  to  express  our support for H.Res.  908, introduced by  Representative  Grace  Meng(D-NY-6)and  its  Senate companion to be introduced by Senators Kamala Harris (D-CA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI); both of which condemn all forms of anti-Asian sentiment related to COVID-19.

Hate and bigotry are not consistent with realizing the promise of American democracy where all of us have an equal voice. COVID-19 is a public health crisis that has fundamentally disrupted our way of life and is saddling our most vulnerable individuals and communities with significant new burdens. Our collective focus must be on overcoming this challenge and caring for one another.

As the number of COVID-19 cases have increased, so too have attacks targeting Asian Americans. On March 14th, the New York Post published an article of a Chinese American father walking his son to the bus stop and was verbally and physically attacked by an angry stranger.¹ Just days later in Texas, a Burmese man and his son were stabbed at a local Sam’s Club by a young man who attacked them because of their race.² As these attacks have continued surging, we are concerned that as our country continues to struggle to overcome COVID-19, anxiety, frustration and fear will intensify  before  it  subsides.  This  could  lead  to  additional  attacks  on  the  Asian  American community.

We strongly oppose laying blame for the virus that results in the targeting of a group of people. In this  context,  we  have  significant  concerns  with H.Res.  907, introduced  by Representative Jim Banks (R-IN-3), which seeks to place primary blame on the Chinese government for the spread of COVID-19. The rhetoric contained in this resolution only fuels anti-China xenophobia, which in turn, puts the larger Asian American community at risk. For this very reason, the World Health Organization, the  Centers  for  Disease  Control  and  Prevention  Director  Robert  R.  Redfield, and U.S.  Secretary of  Health  and  Human  Services,  Alex  Azar,  have  all advised  against  using  such language and framing around COVID-19.

We believe there will be a time and place to assess the COVID-19 pandemic; including whether world  leaders  acted  responsibly  to prepare  and protect  their  people  from  its  impact. However, while the  American  people  continue  to  struggle with  the  immediate  challenge  of  keeping themselves and their families safe and healthy, we need our leaders to help unite the country—not stoke fear and confusion.

We are all in this together, and we stand with the Asian American community.

(See Attached for full List of Signers)

^{1 New York Post. (2020, March 14). Victim of possible coronavirus hate crime in Queens speaks out. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2020/03/14/victim-of-possible-coronavirus-hate-crime-in-queens-speaks-out/2 Nextshark. (2020, March 16). Man Arrested for Stabbing Burmese Man and His Son in Texas Sam’s Club. Retrieved from https://nextshark.com/sams-club-man-arrested-charged/}