People of Asian descent have been living in the United States for more than 160 years, and have repeatedly been targets of xenophobia, bigotry and violence. In modern history, the attack on Pearl Harbor led to the forced internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans – an estimated 62 percent of whom were U.S. citizens. Refugees from Southeast Asia faced routine discrimination and hate, including attacks by Ku Klux Klan members, following the Vietnam War. An early 80s recession blamed on the rise the Japanese auto industry, similarly, saw a Chinese American beaten to death by two Detroit autoworkers who thought he was Japanese. In addition, the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 resulted in targeted racial profiling, hate crimes and other acts of discrimination against South Asians, Muslims and Arab Americans.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, three in ten Asian Americans have reported being subjected to racist slurs or jokes according to a recent Pew Research Center survey and the non-profit, Stop Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Hate, documented 3,795 racially motivated attacks against Asian Americans from March 2020 to February 2021. Two-thirds of these altercations were against women. The recent trend of anti-Asian American hate has been fueled, in part, by China’s ascension as a trade and cultural rival to the U.S. and, in part, by the political labeling of COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus” or “Kung-flu.” In an effort to mitigate this xenophobia, President Joe Biden signed an executive order in January acknowledging the role political rhetoric has played in the rise of anti-Asian sentiment and hate incidents targeting Asian Americans, and on March 31st announced the reestablishment of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, with an initial emphasis on ending anti-Asian bias and violence. Hear prominent Asian Americans across politics, journalism, civil society, and the arts reflect on the wave of racialized attacks targeting their community, and give voice to the discrimination they’ve faced; the importance of allyship and solidarity across communities of color; and best practices in raising awareness, challenging stereotypes and ensuring greater equality for the many different groups within the Asian American umbrella.

Speakers

• Ted W. LIEU (D-CA, 33), U.S. Representative and Member, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Washington, DC, USA @tedlieu
• Manjusha “Manju” P. KULKARNI, Executive Director, Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council and Co-founder, Stop AAPI Hate, Los Angeles, CA @KulkarniManju
• Rizwan MANJI, Actor, Schitt’s Creek, Outsourced and The Magicians, Studio City, CA, USA @Riz_Manji
• Madalene Xuan-Trang MIELKE, President and CEO, Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, Washington, DC, USA @APAICS
• Kimmy YAM, Reporter, NBC Asian America, NBC News, New York City, NY @kimmythepooh

Moderator

• Ashley WESTERMAN, Journalist, National Public Radio, Washington, DC, USA @_aswesterman

Click here for headshots and biographies.

Thank you to the following organizations for supporting this event and sharing program information with their communities:

People of Asian descent have been living in the United States for more than 160 years, and have repeatedly been targets of xenophobia, bigotry and violence. In modern history, the attack on Pearl Harbor led to the forced internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans – an estimated 62 percent of whom were U.S. citizens. Refugees from Southeast Asia faced routine discrimination and hate, including attacks by Ku Klux Klan members, following the Vietnam War. An early 80s recession blamed on the rise the Japanese auto industry, similarly, saw a Chinese American beaten to death by two Detroit autoworkers who thought he was Japanese. In addition, the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 resulted in targeted racial profiling, hate crimes and other acts of discrimination against South Asians, Muslims and Arab Americans.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, three in ten Asian Americans have reported being subjected to racist slurs or jokes according to a recent Pew Research Center survey and the non-profit, Stop Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Hate, documented 3,795 racially motivated attacks against Asian Americans from March 2020 to February 2021. Two-thirds of these altercations were against women. The recent trend of anti-Asian American hate has been fueled, in part, by China’s ascension as a trade and cultural rival to the U.S. and, in part, by the political labeling of COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus” or “Kung-flu.” In an effort to mitigate this xenophobia, President Joe Biden signed an executive order in January acknowledging the role political rhetoric has played in the rise of anti-Asian sentiment and hate incidents targeting Asian Americans, and on March 31st announced the reestablishment of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, with an initial emphasis on ending anti-Asian bias and violence. Hear prominent Asian Americans across politics, journalism, civil society, and the arts reflect on the wave of racialized attacks targeting their community, and give voice to the discrimination they’ve faced; the importance of allyship and solidarity across communities of color; and best practices in raising awareness, challenging stereotypes and ensuring greater equality for the many different groups within the Asian American umbrella.

Speakers

• Ted W. LIEU (D-CA, 33), U.S. Representative and Member, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Washington, DC, USA @tedlieu
• Manjusha “Manju” P. KULKARNI, Executive Director, Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council and Co-founder, Stop AAPI Hate, Los Angeles, CA @KulkarniManju
• Rizwan MANJI, Actor, Schitt’s Creek, Outsourced and The Magicians, Studio City, CA, USA @Riz_Manji
• Madalene Xuan-Trang MIELKE, President and CEO, Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, Washington, DC, USA @APAICS
• Kimmy YAM, Reporter, NBC Asian America, NBC News, New York City, NY @kimmythepooh

Moderator

• Ashley WESTERMAN, Journalist, National Public Radio, Washington, DC, USA @_aswesterman

Click here for headshots and biographies.

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Thank you to the following organizations for supporting this event and sharing program information with their communities: