In the wake of continuing incidents of hate, violence and racism against the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community across the United States, Committee of 100 has outlined a seven-point plan which emphasizes action – calling on lawmakers and law enforcement to intensify their efforts to combat hate and quell a climate of fear within the community. Despite President Biden’s Executive Memorandum disavowing discrimination against the AAPI community, many have continued to be subjected to unrelenting intimidation, discrimination, and violence.
Committee of 100, a nonprofit U.S. leadership organization of prominent Chinese Americans in business, government, academia, healthcare, and the arts, is unveiling a seven-point plan calling on local, state, and federal leaders and law enforcement to focus on concrete actions to stop the incidents of hate, violence and racism directed toward Chinese Americans and the AAPI community.
“We at the Committee of 100 are extremely saddened to witness the increased attacks against Chinese Americans and the Asian American community overall. Reports of discrimination, racism, and violence towards people of Chinese and Asian descent have significantly increased in recent years – and these are only the incidents captured or reported. These acts of hate have no place in America, whether directed against Asian Americans or anyone else,” said Zhengyu Huang, President of Committee of 100. “As a proud American organization dedicated to the advancement and inclusion of all 5 million Chinese Americans, Committee of 100 has spoken out against discrimination and racism for more than 30 years. Committee of 100 calls on all our elected officials and law enforcement to urgently address racism, discrimination, and violence against Asian Americans with actionable, concrete results. With additional funding, education, and action, we have the chance to put these horrific incidents in the past and move forward as a nation.”
Chinese Americans and the AAPI community overall have made tremendous contributions to the fabric of American life for centuries. In February, Committee of 100 released a report “From Foundations to Frontiers” which looks at 175 years of Chinese American contributions to the United States. Despite these contributions, members of the community continue to face violent assaults and hate because of their heritage. Like many Americans, the AAPI community has faced increased unemployment, food and housing insecurity, shuttering of local small businesses, and safety risks to frontline and healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. These unwarranted attacks, fueled by fear and misinformation, have made an already difficult time even harder. In the past year alone, close to 3,000 incidents of hate have been reported against the AAPI community.
Committee of 100 is calling on these seven initiatives to be enacted immediately:
- We call on all elected officials – including governors, mayors, and members of Congress—to forcefully denounce all acts of anti-Asian racism and bigotry.
- We call on the new U.S. Attorney General and the U.S. Department of Justice to set up a task force to specifically investigate and combat increased violence directed towards the AAPI community.
- We call on the Department of Justice to revamp its China Initiative, which has involved the racial profiling of Chinese scientists and researchers.
- We call for the federal government to provide funding to state and local law enforcement agencies for education, training, and community outreach.
- We call on all law enforcement agencies to adopt a zero-tolerance stance towards acts of bigotry, racism and hate inflicted on Asian Americans, whether verbal, physical or psychological.
- We call on all elected officials and lawmakers to ensure survivors of hate crimes have access to support services in languages used by their local communities.
- We call for the expulsion of any public official, government employee, or law enforcement officer found to be stoking hate or discriminating against people of Asian descent.
Committee of 100 stands in solidarity with the victims, survivors, and families who have suffered loss and pain due to these incidents of hate. More work must be done to address historic inequalities facing the AAPI community and to dispel the misinformation and fear driving these attacks. With one voice, we call on our federal, state, and local elected officials and law enforcement to speak up and take action.
About Committee of 100:
Committee of 100 is a non-profit U.S. leadership organization of prominent Chinese Americans in business, government, academia, healthcare, and the arts. For the past 30 years, the dual mission of Committee of 100 has been to promote the full inclusion of Chinese Americans in American society and help enable more constructive relations between the U.S. and China. For more information on Committee of 100, visit committee100.org.