Biden signs executive order against xenophobia and attacks against Asian Americans & NHPI

 

WHITE HOUSE

President Joe Biden signs the executive order against xenophobia and anti-Asian bias.

The universal praise coming from the Asian American & Pacific Islander communities was tempered by an equally strong call for next steps in order to turn President Joe Biden's welcomed condemnation of xenophobia and anti-Asian hate into tangible results.

On racial equity day, Tuesday, Jan. 26, Biden signed off on a presidential memorandum acknowledging the harm caused by harassment and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) and condemning anti-Asian bias and discrimination. 

"Today, I’m directing federal agencies to combat resurgence of xenophobia, particularly against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, that we’ve seen skyrocket during this pandemic. This is unacceptable and it’s un-American," Biden remarked prior to signing the memo. "I’ve asked the Department of Justice to strengthen its partnership with the Asian American and Pacific Islander community to prevent those hate crimes."

This executive order also directs the Department of Health and Human Services and the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force to issue guidance on cultural competency, language access, and sensitivity in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring that federal agencies avoid discriminatory language. 

“This move by President Biden to recognize the extraordinary pain being felt in our communities as a result of racist attacks during the pandemic is a welcome action," said John C. Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC. "The last four years of divisive rhetoric and blatant use of derogatory terms have put a target on the Asian American community during COVID-19 and we plan to work with the administration to find solutions to these attacks and other inequities exposed by the global pandemic and previous administration.”

"Since the beginning of the pandemic, Asian Americans have been terrified by the alarming rise in anti-Asian bigotry and hate. In fact, long before stay at home orders were put in place, Asian-owned restaurants and businesses were among the very first to lose customers due to misinformation and xenophobia associating Asian Americans with the virus.," said Rep. Judy Chu, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

"As the pandemic surged across the nation, Asian Americans increasingly became the targets of violent hate crimes and incidents, with over 3,000 anti-Asian incidents reported last year alone.

Biden signed four executive actions Tuesday that he wants his administer to address in regards to xenophobia, racial inequity and justice.

Beside the memorandum affecting the AAPI communities, Biden signed three other presidential memos that would:

• direct the Department of Housing and Urban Development "to take steps necessary to redress racially discriminatory federal housing policies";
• direct the Department of Justice to end its use of private prisons;
• reaffirm the federal government's "commitment to tribal sovereignty and consultation"

Linda Ng, National President of OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates expressed hope because of Biden's memos. "However, AAPI small businesses and frontline workers have not received adequate COVID-19 resources and protections. We need to see tangible action targeting the physical, mental, and economic harm being done to our communities, and furthermore dismantle the fact that AAPIs are seen as one homogenous group,” she said.

Community leaders stressed the diversity of the AAPI communities. "AANHPIs are not a monolith – we are a multicultural group with diverse needs and backgrounds," said Brendan Flores, National Chair and President, National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA).

"The Filipino American community, in many areas across the country, has been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and this past year has amplified pre-existing health disparities in our community," said Flores, who emphasized the role Filipino nurses play in caring for COVID patients and the disproportionate death rate -- almost a third of U.S. nurses deaths -- among those caregivers.

In 2020, a similar measure was introduced by Rep. Grace Meng, D- NY, which was passed in the House but never came to a vote in the GOP-controlled Senate.

"In signing his memorandum, the President said loud and clear that this intolerance against Asian Americans has no place anywhere in our country, and it underscores his commitment to lifting up and empowering those of Asian descent and tackling issues that have disproportionally impacted the Asian American community, particularly in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak," said Meng.