Committee of 100 Comments on the COVID–19 Hate Crimes Act Being Signed Into Law

New York, NY (May 21, 2021) – Yesterday, President Biden signed the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act into law, legislation that the Committee of 100 has strongly supported. Committee of 100’s endorsement recognizes the recent increase in violent attacks against the Chinese American and Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community, but also the opportunity for a broad coalition to come together on long-overdue policy solutions to curb the discrimination millions of Americans face every day.

For more than 30 years, Committee of 100 has promoted the full inclusion of Chinese Americans in all aspects of American life. The Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act, which includes text of the bipartisan Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act, will give law enforcement agencies better tools to monitor, prevent, and respond to hate crimes and improve resources available for victims.

“These past 18 months have been troubling and painful for all Americans, and especially the Chinese American and AAPI community” said Gary Locke, Chairman of Committee of 100, the former Governor of Washington and U.S. Ambassador to China. “Chinese Americans are Americans. Period. We are proud of the contributions we have made to the United States for nearly 200 years, and to be vilified and attacked over these past months have been horrific and unacceptable. With the passage of this new legislation, we hope to build our country back to a nation defined by inclusiveness and diversity.”

“Committee of 100 has been a proud and vocal supporter of both the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act and the No Hate Act, both of which give law enforcement agencies better tools to monitor, prevent, and respond to hate crimes directed at Chinese Americans and the AAPI community,” said Zheng Yu Huang, President of Committee of 100. “We commend both Congress and the Biden Administration for placing the urgency facing Chinese Americans and the AAPI community at the top of the agenda. We are thankful to President Biden for signing this bill into law, helping to protect and safeguard the AAPI community.”