White House to host United We Stand Summit to address the epidemic of hate-fueled violence

WHITE HOUSE

In May 2021, President Biden signed an Act making combatting anti-Asian hate crimes a priority.

It didn't take long did it? After 60 years of demonstrations, court rulings, civil rights laws and blood on the streets, fields and factories to turn racial bias and intolerance a social taboo, it took only four years to undo all of that.

On Sept. 15, President Biden will take another step toward putting American back on track to a more perfect union by hosting the United We Stand Summit "to counter the corrosive effects of hate-fueled violence in our democracy."

People of color, including Black, Latino, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities have felt the onslaught of hate brought on the rise of white supremacy and the public displays of intolerance, which some say was fueled the previous White House occupants who allowed bigotry to flourish once again. 

In particular, the AANHPI communities have been the target of hate and ignorance since the start of pandemic. Stop AAPI Hate, a community organization that began collecting reports of hate incidents since March 2020, have received over 11,000 hate incidents against AANHPI, from verbal harassment in public spaces to deadly attacks, including the shooting spree that killed six Asian women in and around Atlanta. in March of 2021. 

Some blame the previous administrationfor fueling the hate directed at AANHPI by allowing the public expressions of hate to come out of the dark corners of the American psyche. Apparently, the insecurities fed by fear and ignorance never went away, they were only repressed.

The surge in hate has not gone unnoticed by the Biden administration, which includes Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman of mixed racial heritage -- South Asian and Black. 

After the Atlanta shootings, Biden said: "Silence is complicity. We cannot be complicit." Shortly thereafter, the President signed legislation combatting anti-Asian hate a priority for his administration.

"Here's the truth — racism exists in America, xenophobia exists in America, anti-semitism, Islamophobia homophobia, transphobia, it all exists," added Harris. "So the work to address injustice, wherever it exists, remains the work ahead."

Following is a statement by Susan Rice, Biden's Domestic Policy Advisor announcing the United We Stand Summit.

By Domestic Policy Advisor Susan E. Rice

Hate must have no safe harbor in America—especially when that hate fuels the kind of violence we’ve seen from Oak Creek to Pittsburgh, from El Paso to Poway, and from Atlanta to Buffalo. When we cannot settle our differences of opinion peacefully, and when ordinary Americans cannot participate in the basic activities of everyday life—like shopping at the grocery store, praying at their house of worship, or casting a ballot—without the fear of being targeted and killed for who they are, our democracy is at risk.

That’s why, on Thursday, September 15, President Biden will host the United We Stand Summit at the White House to counter the corrosive effects of hate-fueled violence on our democracy and public safety, highlight the response of the Biden-Harris Administration and communities nationwide to these dangers, and put forward a shared, bipartisan vision for a more united America.

President Biden decided to run for president after the horrific violence that erupted in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. Since taking office, his Administration has consistently taken steps to counter hate-motivated violence—from signing the bipartisan COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, to releasing the first-ever National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism, to signing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most significant legislation in three decades to reduce gun violence.

Even as our nation has endured a disturbing series of hate-fueled attacks, Americans of all beliefs and political affiliations remain overwhelmingly united in their opposition to such violence. The United We Stand Summit will bring together heroes from across America leading work in their communities to build bridges and address hate and division, including survivors of hate-fueled violence. The summit will include bipartisan federal, state, and local officials, civil rights groups, faith and community leaders, technology and business leaders, law enforcement officials, former members of violent extremist groups who now work to prevent violence, gun violence prevention leaders, media representatives, and cultural figures. It will feature a keynote speech from President Biden as well as bipartisan panels and conversations on countering hate-fueled violence, preventing radicalization and mobilization to violence, and fostering unity.

And, we hope it will also include you. Communities across the country will be invited to watch the summit live and engage in a national conversation about standing together against hate-fueled violence.

Nominate a “Uniter” in your community

Across America, Americans are working to bring their communities together across lines of racial, religious, political and other differences to prevent acts of hate-fueled violence, promote healing where such violence has had devastating consequences, and foster unity. These “Uniters” are bipartisan faith leaders and teachers, police officers and mayors, civic leaders and volunteers, and everyday members of our communities. Many of these Uniters are themselves survivors of hate-fueled violence who have turned their pain into purpose. They hold together our communities together and lift us up in the hardest times.

By September 1st, 2022, we invite you to nominate an extraordinary Uniter in your community to be recognized by the White House. Please email UnitedWeStand@who.eop.gov with information on a leader in your community who inspires change by building bridges and countering hate-fueled violence..

As President Biden said in Buffalo after the horrific mass shooting earlier this year, in the battle for the soul of our nation “we must all enlist in this great cause of America.” The United We Stand Summit will present an important opportunity for Americans of all walks of life to take up that cause—together.

On Thursday, September 15, President Biden will host at the White House the United We Stand Summit to counter the corrosive effects of hate-fueled violence on our democracy and public safety, highlight the response of the Biden-Harris Administration and communities nationwide to these dangers, and put forward a shared vision for a more united America.

President Biden decided to run for president after the horror of the hate-fueled violence that erupted in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. Since taking office, his Administration has consistently taken steps to counter hate-motivated violence — from signing the bipartisan COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, to releasing the first-ever National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism, to signing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most significant legislation in three decades to reduce gun violence.

Even as our nation has endured a disturbing series of hate-fueled attacks, from Oak Creek to Pittsburgh, from El Paso to Poway, from Atlanta to Buffalo, Americans remain overwhelmingly united in their opposition to such violence. 

The United We Stand Summit will bring together heroes from across America who are leading historic work in their communities to build bridges and address hate and division, including survivors of hate-fueled violence. The summit will include a bipartisan group of federal, state, and local officials, civil rights groups, faith and community leaders, technology and business leaders, law enforcement officials, former members of violent hate groups who now work to prevent violence, gun violence prevention leaders, media representatives, and cultural figures. 

It will feature a keynote speech from President Biden as well as inclusive, bipartisan panels and conversations on countering hate-fueled violence, preventing radicalization and mobilization to violence, and fostering unity.

As President Biden said in Buffalo after the horrific mass shooting earlier this year, in the battle for the soul of our nation “we must all enlist in this great cause of America.” The United We Stand Summit will present an important opportunity for Americans of all races, religions, regions, political affiliations, and walks of life to take up that cause together.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.