OCA Celebrates the Senate Passage of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
23 April 2021
Contact: Eiley Fong | Senior Communications Associate
202.223.5500 | eiley.fong@ocantional.org
Washington, DC - OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates thanks the leadership of Senators Hirono, Collins, Blumenthal, Warnock, and others who introduced and advocated for the passage of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. This legislation is the first step in addressing many of the issues surrounding anti-Asian violence, hate incidents, and hate crimes that have spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic. OCA presses the fact that hate towards AAPI communities is not new in this country, but changes and protections must be made to prevent them from escalating further.
“Finally we see concrete enforcement for cultural competency trainings and monetary resources for AAPI victim support,” states Linda Ng, National President of OCA. “The regulations brought forth by this bill will hopefully restore some trust that the AAPI community had lost of law enforcement and government in their response to anti-Asian hate incidents. The House must follow in suit with the legislation that Representative Meng has introduced.”
If you, your family members, someone you know, or community members have experienced xenophobia, discrimination, or harassment, please report the incident using our hate crime/incident reporting tool at www.aapihatecrimes.org.
OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national civil rights organization of community advocates dedicated to improving the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).
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