Washington DC [US], September 3 (ANI): US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and a coalition of South Asian lawmakers on Wednesday led a national roundtable with state and local South Asian elected officials focused on rising hate and discrimination targeting South Asian American communities and concrete steps policymakers can take to combat hate and prevent violence.
The details of the roundtable were shared by Congressman Krishnamoorthi in a press release on his official website.
The release noted that the roundtable brought together Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Ami Bera, Suhas Subramanyam, and Shri Thanedar, along with state and local elected officials from across the country, Indian American Impact, and Stop AAPI Hate.
Participants discussed what South Asian communities are experiencing, the forces driving hate, and strategies to strengthen prevention, reporting, and response.
“Today’s roundtable brought together South Asian leaders from across the country to confront the rise in hate, harassment, and violence our communities are seeing and focus on what we can do about it,” Krishnamoorthi said.
“This is about protecting South Asian Americans, but it is also about making clear that no American should be made to feel they do not belong because of where they were born, how they worship, or what their name sounds like. That is why I have been working to strengthen our response to hate crimes, including through the Hate Crimes Commission Act, so we can better understand what is driving this hate and prevent violence before it happens.”
The release noted how earlier this year, Krishnamoorthi reintroduced the Hate Crimes Commission Act with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Representatives Grace Meng and Nydia Velázquez. The legislation would establish a bipartisan commission to examine what is driving hate crimes, including the role of social media and technology, assess barriers to complete reporting, and identify successful prevention and response strategies. It would also require a Government Accountability Office audit of federal hate-crime data to improve the accuracy and reliability of information on hate crimes nationwide.
The roundtable included state and local elected officials from North Carolina, New Jersey, Virginia, California, Michigan, Texas, and Pennsylvania, as well as Indian American Impact Executive Director Chintan Patel and Stop AAPI Hate Co-Founder Manju Kulkarni, the release said. (ANI)