Asian American and Pacific Islander Anti-Discrimination Resources

The Senate passed legislation Thursday (4/22/21) targeting anti-Asian hate crimes after an uptick of incidents during the Covid-19 pandemic.

See the full text of the bill passed in the Senate and sponsored by Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI).

U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) announced 5/7/2020 that she has introduced legislation that seeks to provide greater federal government oversight of COVID-19 hate crimes, and require the Department of Justice (DOJ) to provide Congress with regular updates on the status of reported bias incidents.

This U.S. Department of Justice webpage explains hate crimes in the United States, including an overview of federal laws, facts and statistics, and prevention resources.

Hate crime laws in the United States are state and federal laws intended to protect against hate crime (also known as bias crimes). Although state laws vary, current statutes permit federal prosecution of hate crimes committed on the basis of a person's characteristics of race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)/FBI, as well as campus security authorities, are required to collect and publish hate crime statistics.

This 2-page document created by the Anti-Defamation League provides an introduction to Hate Crime laws.

This short podcast segment explains hate crime laws. [6 minutes.]

Currently, 18 out of the 49 states and territories that have laws in place do not require data collection on such crimes, according to the Justice Department.

Officials often resist the quick classification of incidents as a hate crime. Hate crimes have precise qualities, which must be met in order to satisfy legal requirements. And even when police and prosecutors believe the elements of a hate crime are present, such crimes can be difficult to prove in court.

A hate-crimes law that was passed in Georgia last year could come into play if the authorities determine that the suspect in this week’s deadly shootings at Atlanta-area massage parlors was motivated by racism or misogyny.

In response to the alarming escalation in xenophobia and bigotry resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Asian Pacific Planning and Policy Council (A3PCON), Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), and the Asian American Studies Department of San Francisco State University launched the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center on March 19, 2020. The center tracks and responds to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning, and child bullying against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice is a national affiliation of five leading organizations advocating for the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and other underserved communities to promote a fair and equitable society for all. It includes a reporting tool and a place to collect stories about Anti-AAPI hate.