Editorial
A rescue for parents Combating the hate
Much of the talk about the $1.9
trillion American Rescue Plan
passed by the Senate last weekend,
and due to pass the House this week,
has been on direct payments, bolstering
unemployment benefits and rescuing cashstrapped
local governments like New York.
But the real angel in the details, as it
were, rests with the plan to boost the
Child Tax Credit — and to do so in such
a way that it has a real, positive impact on
American families.
The relief package increases the value of
the credit from $2,000 to $3,000 per child
under 17, or $3,600 per child under the
age of six. Moreover, it transforms part of
that credit into direct monthly payment to
parents over the last six months of 2021;
between July and December, parents would
get $250 to $300 per child each month.
First created in 1997 as part of a federal
tax reform bill, the Child Tax Credit has
essentially acted as a coupon on a filer’s
annual return. The money didn’t go directly
into a parent’s pocket unless they
happened to get a tax refund due, in part,
to the credit.
The changes to the Child Tax Credit in
the American Rescue Plan, however, finally
make the program truly constructive by
giving qualified working- and middle-class
families (making under $200,000 a year)
across America some actual help in raising
their children.
You would be hard-pressed to find a
parent in New York, let alone America,
who would pocket that $250 per month,
or splurge it on themselves.
That money will go toward whatever the
parents need to help raise their children and
provide them with the very basics — food,
clothing, supplies, day care, educational
programs, etc.
It also creates a real precedent, one that
has been a long time in coming.
Changing the Child Tax Credit into a direct
payment program would help ease the
financial burdens American families face
every day when it comes to providing for
their families. It’s not socialism run amok,
or a way to disincentivize work. It’s simply
about giving parents a much-needed break
to help their children grow and succeed.
For all the things this country has spent
trillions of dollars upon in the last few
decades, the new-and-improved Child Tax
Credit might be the smartest investment the
federal government has ever made.
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VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA SCHNEPS
ROBERT POZARYCKI
EMILY DAVENPORT
MARK HALLUM
DEAN MOSES
ALEJANDRA O’CONNELLDOMENECH
BOB KRASNER
TEQUILA MINSKY
MARCOS RAMOS
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JULIO TUMBACO
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Op-ed
BY BETH FINKEL AND JO-ANN YOO
Imagine for a minute that you’re simply
standing on a subway platform waiting
for your train. Or maybe you’re running
an errand, shopping bag in hand.
Or you’ve just left your home for a walk.
Then imagine being punched in the face,
or violently pushed, or set on fire or slashed
with a knife.
Now imagine that those things happened
to you because of your race. Random
strangers just walk up to you and attack you
because they believe in some convoluted
and ridiculous way that you’re responsible
for the coronavirus. They tell you to go
home – to a different country.
These aren’t fictional accounts, they’re not
from some action movie. They’re real life.
In our city. And they are increasing. And
the targets are Asian New Yorkers, many of
whom are age 50 or above. They may be you.
Noel Quintana, a 61-year-old riding in a
subway car, was slashed ear-to-ear in early
February when he asked his attacker to
stop kicking his bag. And only a few people
stepped up to help Mr. Quintana, who was
bleeding profusely.
This is more than unacceptable. And if
you think that these violent acts of hate are
just about the targeted person or Asians,
you are wrong. This violence affects us all.
When one group is targeted, it places an
indelible stain on our humanity.
That’s why our respective organizations
have risen up to end this violence and hold
our elected officials and our police accountable.
We ask you to stand with us.
Since early 2020, when Covid-19 locked
down New York City, there have been approximately
500 reports of bias incidents
and hate crimes directed at the Asian community,
particularly vulnerable seniors. But
we know that’s just a fraction since many
of these incidents go unreported. That is a
horrifying statistic.
There is so much loss this year: the lives
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
of people who died from a deadly virus and
the livelihoods of those who have lost jobs
and businesses. And there’s also the mental
health toll that has affected so many as we
continue to lockdown and remain socially
distant.
We ask our neighbors and friends of all
communities to stand with us to eradicate
hate. We ask our fellow New Yorkers to look
out for each other. There are many Asian
New Yorkers working on the frontlines, from
combating the disease in hospitals to providing
meals to delivering groceries. They are
the people helping you get through this, one
of the most difficult years in American history,
but are being violently treated as outsiders
in the communities they are sustaining.
Now it’s time to condemn these attacks,
pressure our lawmakers to address anti-
Asian and anti-immigrant rhetoric and to
punish those who attack our fellow New
Yorkers. Remember, we are all in this
together.
Here are some ways to help from the
Asian American Federation:
Support victims by advocating for recovery
services offered in Asian languages to
help them heal from the trauma.
Help promote and practice ways to diffuse
tense situations.
Call on our leaders to go beyond verbal
expressions of solidarity and take meaningful
actions to provide us with the resources to
navigate COVID-19 and address the racism
that is plaguing Asian New Yorkers.
Ask our leaders to demonstrate their
dedication to eradicating hate and ensuring
real safety by creating a system of support
that allows those who are being targeted to
seek help in different places and ways.
Urge leaders to invest in meaningful
strategies to bring marginalized communities
together to build and heal during and
after COVID-19.
Beth Finkel is the State Director of AARP
New York. Jo-Ann Yoo is the Executive
Director of the Asian American Federation.
8 MMaarrcchh 1 111, ,2 2002211 SScchhnneeppss Meeddiiaa
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