October 15, 2021

Duckworth Discusses Efforts to Protect AANHPI Community During Illinois Holocaust Museum Anti-Hate Event

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) last night discussed her work to address the rise in violence against the Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community as part of the Illinois Holocaust Museum’s “Combating Anti-AAPI Hate: Building a Foundation for Change” event. Duckworth was in conversation with Ester Hurh, Board President of KAN-WIN, the Chicago-based organization that works to eradicate gender-based violence across Asian American communities. Duckworth discussed her COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which President Biden signed into law earlier this year, as well as her personal experiences with hate, discrimination and racism toward the AANHPI community.

“I’d love to be able to say that anti-Asian bigotry isn’t American—or isn’t normal—but the reality is, for the AANHPI community, it is inextricably woven into their everyday American experience,” Duckworth said. “After a year of hateful, offensive rhetoric being used by Donald Trump in an attempt to racialize the COVID-19 pandemic against Asian Americans, we’ve seen a spike in hate crimes, violent assaults and discrimination targeting the AANHPI community. I was proud to see my legislation to help put a stop to these crimes signed into law earlier this year, and I’ll keep working to make sure our communities are safe.”

Duckworth’s COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which was signed into law in May, will help expedite the review of COVID-19-related hate crimes at the Department of Justice, provide support for state and local law enforcement agencies to respond to these hate crimes and coordinate with local and federal partners to mitigate racially discriminatory language used to describe the pandemic.

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