President Biden on Thursday, March 30, laid out his plans to address increasing instances of racism against Asian-Americans.
The first steps by the federal government to combat the recent racist acts came after the day a man, Brandon Elliot, 38, was seen stomping on a 65-year-old Filipino woman, Vilma Kari, while making racist remarks in Manhattan.
Kari was kicked in the stomach, knocked to the ground, then repeatedly kicked in the face on the sidewalk. She sustained broken bones, including a cracked pelvis.
Biden plans to increase accessibility to hate crime data, plans to require new training for local police, and to establish grants to support survivors of violence or sexual assault in the Asian-American community, according to a press release issued by the White House.
President Biden also recently visited Atlanta to express his grief for victims of a mass shooting that killed eight people, six of whom were Asian, on March 16. The alleged murderer, Robert Aaron Long, 21, is currently in custody, and being charged with multiple accounts of murder.
Dealing with an increase of racist attacks, including violent attacks against Asian-Americans, has been one of the early challenges of Biden’s presidency. In his first week in office, he condemned the xenophobia against Asian-Americans and is now speaking more publicly about his plans.
Hannah Choi, a junior at Williston, and one of the heads of the Asian Alliance Club, is concerned with the safety of Asian students in the U.S., and hopes that Biden’s plan to combat Asian hate will be effective.
“I believe that his plan to combat Asian hate crimes can help greatly with the amount of influence he can have over citizens,” she said. “Although racism against Asians has been a long-existing issue, the increasing hate crimes have been gaining more attention by the world.”
Hannah also fears for her safety when studying in the States, especially after the most recent hate crime against a 65-year-old Filipino woman. Despite all this, she still strives to raise awareness for Asian-Americans.
“As a member of the Asian community, I am very disturbed and upset by the increasing hate crimes against our people,” she said. “Although I am aware that racism against Asians has always been evident, it has never come to this amount of hate and violence.”
“With the hate crime against the 65-year-old Asian woman and the other endless instances of hate crimes against Asians, it has put me and my family in an uncomfortable position as well, since I am currently studying in the States,” Hannah continued. “However, I will continue to fight for justice as a member of this community by continuously spreading awareness and educating others on how serious these issues are.”
Sophie Winikur, a 9th grader from Kazakhstan who attends Suffield Academy, does not understand why Asians receive hate in the first place.
“Asians never have done any harm,” she said. “So many of us live in the U.S., so why would we wish a pandemic on ourselves?”
“I think race should not be the determining factor whether you are evil or not,” she added. “Asian-Americans have a different culture than most Americans, but we still very much are American.”
Jeremie Ng, a Co-Leader of the Asian Alliance club and a junior at Williston, feels that Biden is putting in more of an effort to stop discrimination than former President Trump.
“It gives hope to the people who are suffering from these attacks, not just Asian people,” she said. “But all races who have common human decency would have felt good about his new plan, myself included.”
Jeremie is concerned for elderly minorities and worries for their safety, but is happy that hate crimes are finally being talked about, especially on social media.
“It really is so painful to see elderly people attacked; they want to attack the most vulnerable, and it’s horrific,” Jeremie said. “I’m glad the media and people are starting to realize all these hate crimes since the start of Covid,” she continued. “No one really covered it until recently, which is sad, but it has to start somewhere.”