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. 

Federal government lays out action plans to achieve racial, economic equity

WHITE HOUSE

President Biden's advisor Susan Rice hosted the unveiling of of the government's equity plans..

 

A year after, President Biden signed Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.

That historic Executive Order directed the whole of the federal government to advance an ambitious equity and racial justice agenda.

Thursday, April 15, more than 90 federal agencies, including all Cabinet-level agencies, unveiled the first-ever Equity Action Plans that lay out more than 300 concrete strategies and commitments to address the systemic barriers in our nation’s policies and programs that hold too many underserved communities back from prosperity, dignity, and equality.

Those communities include poor communities, Asian Americans, Blacks, Latinos, tribal, rural and LGBTQ communities; and people with disabilities and women and girls and addresses disaggregating data and fighting the anti-Asian hate acts plaguing the AANHPI communities.

In a meeting with leaders from the AANHPI communities, Biden said that the hate acts are "often met with silence. That’s been true throughout our history, but that has to change — because our silence is complicity. We cannot be complicit. We have to speak out. We have to act."

The action includes developing and implementing the equity plans which were discussed at the Thursday White House event hosted by domestic policy adviser Susan Rice, budget director Shalanda Young and members of the Cabinet.

“Improving access to Justice Department programs and services is critical to ensuring equal justice under law and promoting public safety,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Department’s Equity Action Plan is designed to increase equity, opportunity, and resources to our most vulnerable communities.”

Since Jan. 20, 2021, the Department has taken many steps to advance equity for marginalized communities, including by combating hate crimes and hate incidents, revitalizing the Community Relations Service, re-establishing the Office for Access to Justice, ensuring non-discrimination in federal grants, expanding language access, and reforming law enforcement practices. The Department’s Equity Action Plan will build on these ongoing efforts.

"Education has the power to bring the American Dream within reach of every individual, lift communities, draw people together, drive our economy, and meet our nation's vast potential," said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. "We need to keep the focus on transforming our education system so it truly expands opportunity for all students, no matter their race, background, zip code, age, or family's income.Together, we must take bold action to ensure our nation's schools are defined not by disparities, but by equity and excellence, especially as we recover from the pandemic and reemerge stronger than before."

Advancing equity is not a one-year project—it is a generational commitment. These plans are an important step forward, reflecting the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to make the promise of America real for every American, but especially for those communities that historically did not have access to the opportunities provided by the multitude of government programs, services and job openings.

The plans put forth Thursday included implementing the first-ever national strategy on gender equity and equality; working to ensure the federal government is a model for diversity equity, inclusion and accessibility; working to deliver environmental justice through the Justice40 Initiative; and working to prevent and combat discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.

For more details on the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to advance equity and justice for underserved communities, visit www.whitehouse.gov/equity.

In just two weeks, philanthropic foundation raises $1 billion to combat hate attacks

During a meeting with President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and other White House officials, The Asian American Foundation announced that in two weeks since the philanthropic organization's launch, the foundation has raised over $1 billion for AAPI community organizations.

The $1 billion contributions will be used to combat anti-AAPI hate, and advance research and public education on AA and NH/PI communities. It is the largest philanthropic commitment in history fully focused on supporting AA and NH/PI communities. 

TAAF leaders met with Deputy Assistant to the President and AAPI Senior Liaison Erika Moritsugu, White House Public Engagement Director Cedric Richmond and Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice and discussed the importance of business, philanthropy, and nonprofits working together for change. 

Members of TAAF’s Advisory Council, including Daniel Dae Kim and Lisa Ling took part in  the meeting virtually, as did some of the foundation and corporate partners that made contributions to the fundraiser, including representatives from the Anti-Defamation League, MacArthur Foundation, Henry Luce Foundation, Mastercard, Bain & Company, and sweetgreen. 

Biden and Harris spoke to the group, re-emphasizing their commitment to fight the alarming rise of hate-fueled violence directed at AAPI.

Earlier in the day, Biden signed into law the COVID-19 Anti-Hate Crimes Act to combat the anti-Asian violence.

Congressional leaders call for action against attacks on Asian Americans

Members of Congress held a virtual press conference denouncing anti-Asian violence.

The outcry against the continuing acts of violence directed at Asian Americans has reached the U.S. capitol.

Friday, members of the Congressional Tri-Caucus – composed of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) – held a press conference with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries to condemn the recent spike in anti-Asian hate crimes and violence in recent weeks.

“It is a profound and unacceptable injustice that the AAPI community faces not only the coronavirus pandemic and economic crisis right now, but also the growing threat of bigoted attacks against their community," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "This epidemic of violence is a challenge to the conscience of our country, which our Democratic Congress is committed to combating, confronting and ending.”

Since March last year when Stop AAPI Hate began accepting reports of hate acts against Asians, there have been about 3,000 incidents reported.

The recent unprovoked attacks against AAPI elderly, some of which were videotaped by security cameras, struck an emotional chord with the Asian American community. Respecting and honoring seniors is part of most Asian cultures.

Members of Congress and White House Domestic Policy Council Director Susan Rice issued the following statements:

“Attacks on Asian Americans have become an almost daily tragedy in our country. My heart breaks for the thousands of Asian American families that have been terrorized by this xenophobic violence since the start of the pandemic. But I am also encouraged by the support from other communities of color, Congressional leadership, and the Biden Administration,” said Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27), CAPAC Chair. 

“This terrible violence is the deliberate result of a party that put xenophobia and blame shifting ahead of the health and safety of fellow Americans, and that is why it means so much to have a new President and elected leaders at all levels of government who are willing to condemn attacks against the Asian American community and push back on racist slurs like ‘Kung flu’ and ‘China virus’ that have put lives in danger," continued Chu.

“Hate has no place in America, but rates of harassment, bullying and violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have risen dramatically in the past year. President Biden condemns and denounces anti-Asian xenophobia,” said Ambassador Susan Rice, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. 

Biden has made racial equity a cornerstone of his administration. Days after taking office the President signed a Presidential Memorandum on combating anti-Asian xenophobia, which directed departments and agencies within the federal government to take steps to combat anti-Asian bias, and partner with AAPI communities to prevent hate crimes and harassment. 

"As part of the Administration’s whole of government approach to advancing equity, we are focused on improving federal data disaggregation, removing language access barriers, and ensuring equal opportunities for AAPI communities,” said Rice.

The press conference was held on the Day Remembrance to recount the injustice towards Japanese Americans when they were incarcerated during WWII.

"As we shed light on the rise in hate crimes against the AAPI community, we dedicate this day to the nearly 120,000 innocent people who were wrongfully interned by our government solely because of the color of their skin, the shape of their eyes, and their Japanese heritage. What the AAPI community is experiencing today compared to what Japanese Americans experienced almost 80 years ago may be different, but the root cause of it is the same: scapegoating and mass blame,” said Rep. Mark Takano (CA-41), CAPAC Second Vice Chair. 

“Hate and discrimination against the AAPI community has been a long-standing problem, but it has been made far worse by the pandemic and because powerful leaders, like Trump and Republicans who enabled him, spread fear, misinformation, and racist rhetoric to advance their political agenda and cover up their incompetency in response to this virus, said the California representative.

“My heart goes out to the families of Vicha Ratanapakdee, the 61-year old Filipino man whose face was slashed with a knife in New York City, and any family or individual who has been impacted by the sickening and disturbing violence we’re seeing against Asian Americans,” said Rep. Ted Lieu (CA-33), CAPAC Whip. 

“These racist acts of violence have been fueled by the hateful rhetoric of the previous administration, who in an attempt to scapegoat, wrongfully blamed an entire community for spreading the coronavirus," said Lieu. 

"When the leaders of our country use terms such as ‘Kung-Flu’ – there are real world consequences. Asian American families are afraid to send their children to school and families are worried about their elderly parents or grandparents leaving their homes. This is not right. We will not stand for this senseless violence nor any form of discrimination or harassment against Asian Americans.”

“It is incredibly tragic that, as we just celebrated the Lunar New Year, we are still seeing a surge in Anti-AAPI hate crimes and violence,” said Rep. Marilyn Strickland (WA-10). “Whenever there is a crisis in America, there is a history of wanting to blame someone, and in this case, it is the AAPI-community. 

"Because of the honor and respect our culture has for elders, watching them become the victims of this violence is even more painful and horrifying," said the first-term member of Congress. "In addition to the physical violence, we must also condemn the verbal abuse we have seen. We need action now, and we want to see consequences so that this behavior does not continue."

Biden to make a statement against anti-Asian bias, xenophobia

UPDATED Jan. 26, 20:30 a.m. to reflect this morning's press briefing confirming the President's executive orders.

The growing problem of anti-Asian bias and hate crimes  against Asian Americans is going to be addressed Tuesday, Jan. 26, by President Joe Biden.

"America has never lived up to its founding promise of equality for all, but we've never stopped trying. Today, I'll take action to advance racial equity and push us closer to that more perfect union we've always strived to be," the President tweeted Tuesday morning.

Biden will sign an executive order that aims to counter the rise in hate crimes, U.S. and China and the anti-Asian rhetoric used by the Donald Trump administration that is occurring in a unsettled social environment of emboldened white supremacists.

Biden will sign the executive order Tuesday afternoon, dubbed Equity Day, according to the South China Morning News in a story picked up by U.S. news outlets late Monday.

At this morning's press briefing, White House domestic policy adviser Susan Rice  confirmed the Presidential memos that Biden will sign later in the day will center around racial justice and equity.

The President's memo will combat xenophobia against Asian American and Pacific Islanders. 

The memo directs the Department of Health and Human Services, in coordination with the Biden COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, to consider issuing guidance describing best practices to advance cultural competency, language access, and sensitivity towards AAPIs in the federal government’s COVID-19 response. 

It also directs the Department of Justice to partner with AAPI communities to prevent hate crimes and harassment against AAPIs.

It is also reported by the South China Morning News that he will also use the occasion to end the Department of Justice's China Initiative that targeted Chinese researchers, students and scientists who were allegedly stealing intellectual property for China.

“The community is reacting to the immediate threat before them. They feel besieged because of the mass investigations … Trump’s rhetoric and the spike in hate crimes,” sthe SCMN quoted Aryani Ong, an Asian American rights activist and former civil rights lawyer. “This organizing represents an effort to stand up and announce that Asian Americans belong in the U.S. and deserve to have their rights protected.”

Chinese American organizations have been campaigning against the initiative, which they claim encourages racial profiling, sweeping up innocent people because of their Chinese ancestry, a spike of hate confirmed by the FBI.

Although the initiative has resulted in some arrests and prison time for those found guilty, the work has also swept up some Chinese Americans who were innocent of the allegations but lost their jobs, studies ended or had their reputation ruined because of the perceived connection with Chinese efforts to secure U.S. technology and research.

Since the coronavirus hit the U.S. shores, Trump began referring to he virus as the "China Virus," the "Wuhan Flu" or "Kung Flu" and the incidents of hate have increased dramatically.

The use of the racist phrases "China by top administration officials, led by Trump, has coincided with a surge in discrimination against Asian-Americans, according to a new study.

According to community groups that have been collecting data, since the pandemic began, there have been about 3,000 reports of hate incidents against Asian Americans.

One study by University of California professors, as well as the Tulane School of Medicine, found that years of hate incidents of against Asian Americans were trending downward until this past year.

It also found that bias toward Asian Americans "declined steadily from 2007 through early 2020 but reversed trend and began to increase on March 8, following the increase in stigmatizing language in conservative media outlets," according to the study's abstract.

The executive order will address equity in providing the COVID-19 vaccines to those communities of color, the most reluctant to receive the immunization shots, housing according to CBS. Biden will also suggest changes in terminology that may be outdated, derisive or inaccurate -- such as "model minority" or "illegal alins."

 "The idea that the president of the United States is not going to be hostile and not be a super spreader of hate is incredible," Cynthia Choi, an executive director of the group Stop AAPI Hate, told CBS News. "I hope this order reverses the damage caused under the Trump administration, which used federal dollars and resources to create a hostile climate and led to backlash directed toward our community."

WATCH FOR IT: Views From the Edge will write a separate story about the President's actions this afternoon.