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SCREEN CAPTURE President Joe Biden was moved after listening to AAPI leaders of Georgia. |
President Biden's trip to Atlanta was originally supposed to be a pep rally to encourage people to take the coronavirus vaccine and that hope was on the way. The shootings on Tuesday changed all that.
Since he took office, Biden has acted as the consoler-in-chief to those who lost loved ones to the pandemic. Friday, he returned to the familiar role to offer solace to the Asian American community that has been under attack for a year and condolences to the families of the people who lost their lives to a gunman.
He was an hour late for his speaking engagement at a local university because he let his and Vice President Kamala Harris' meeting with Georgia's AAPI leaders run longer than his schedule allowed.
After apologizing and explaining why he was late, Biden said, “I know they feel like there’s a black hole in their chest [...] and that things will never get better.
“Our prayers are with you, and I assure you, the one you lost will always be with you. And the day will come when their memory brings a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye, as unbelievable as that is now.
“It will take a while, but I promise you it will come. When it does, that’s the day you know you’re going to make it.”
The President continued: "Too many Asian Americans have been walking up and down the streets and worrying, waking up each morning the past year feeling their safety and the safety of their loved ones are at stake. They’ve been attacked, blamed, scapegoated, and harassed. They’ve been verbally assaulted, physically assaulted, killed.
"It’s been a year of living in fear for their lives just to walk down the street. Grandparents leave — to leave — afraid to leave their homes. Small-business owners targeted and gunned down. Attacks on some of the most vulnerable people in our nation — the elderly, low-wage workers, and women.
"In fact, Asian American women suffer twice as many incidents of harassment and violence as Asian American men. We’re learning again what we’ve always known: Words have consequences. It’s the coronavirus. Full stop," referring to the previous administration's frequent use of terms that linked Asians to COVID-19.
"The conversation we had today with the AAPI leaders, and that we’re hearing all across the country, is that hate and violence often hide in plain sight. And it’s often met with silence," said Biden.
“Our prayers are with you, and I assure you, the one you lost will always be with you. And the day will come when their memory brings a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye, as unbelievable as that is now.
“It will take a while, but I promise you it will come. When it does, that’s the day you know you’re going to make it.”
The President continued: "Too many Asian Americans have been walking up and down the streets and worrying, waking up each morning the past year feeling their safety and the safety of their loved ones are at stake. They’ve been attacked, blamed, scapegoated, and harassed. They’ve been verbally assaulted, physically assaulted, killed.
"It’s been a year of living in fear for their lives just to walk down the street. Grandparents leave — to leave — afraid to leave their homes. Small-business owners targeted and gunned down. Attacks on some of the most vulnerable people in our nation — the elderly, low-wage workers, and women.
"In fact, Asian American women suffer twice as many incidents of harassment and violence as Asian American men. We’re learning again what we’ve always known: Words have consequences. It’s the coronavirus. Full stop," referring to the previous administration's frequent use of terms that linked Asians to COVID-19.
"The conversation we had today with the AAPI leaders, and that we’re hearing all across the country, is that hate and violence often hide in plain sight. And it’s often met with silence," said Biden.
"That’s been true throughout our history, but that has to change — because our silence is complicity. We cannot be complicit," he stressed. "We have to speak out. We have to act."
Biden and Harris were careful not to call the shootings a hate crime but they noted that whatever the motivation of the shooter, the killings are part of the surge of rising hate crimes against Asian Americans in the U.S.
Biden and Harris were careful not to call the shootings a hate crime but they noted that whatever the motivation of the shooter, the killings are part of the surge of rising hate crimes against Asian Americans in the U.S.
"Racism is real in America and it has always been. Xenophobia is real in America and always has been -- sexism too," said Harris, the first Asian American to be Vice President.
“Asian Americans have been attacked and scapegoated. People who are perceived as Muslim know what it was like to live in our country after 9/11,” Harris said. “For the last year, we've had people in positions of incredible power, scapegoating Asian Americans. People with the biggest pulpits spreading this kind of hate.”
Biden urged the passage of a bill sponsored by Sen. Mazie Hirono and Rep. Grace Meng. The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act would direct the US Department of Justice to focus on hate crimes against Asians and establish better reporting of such crimes as well as a public education campaign.
Earlier in the Day Biden listened to the concerns of AAPI leaders. The meeting was described as "very somber."
Trump's name came up often during the meeting, said Stephanie Cho, CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice.
"I would like to see the Biden administration come out just as strongly but in support of Asian Americans," to counteract the four years of Trump's harmful rhetoric.
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