Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., was among a group of Asian American lawmakers and advocates who testified March 18 before the House Judiciary Committee about discrimination and violence their communities are facing.
In 2020, hate crimes toward Asian American and Pacific Islanders in major U.S. cities grew nearly 150 percent. Since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the group Stop AAPI Hate recorded at least 3,795 reported incidents of hate. The crimes have been violent in numerous situations, including on Tuesday when a gunman killed eight people, including six Asian American women, at Atlanta area spas.
“Our community is bleeding,” Meng said. “We are in pain, and for the last year, we have been screaming out for help.”
Meng, who introduced legislation on March 11 to expedite addressing the rise in pandemic-related hate, spoke about an earlier resolution she introduced condemning anti-Asian sentiment that passed the House in 2020, but 164 Republicans voted against it.
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