8 JULY 29, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Queens lawmaker secures millions
for COVID-19 Hate Crime Act
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
CMOHAMED@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Queens Congresswoman Grace
Meng announced on Tuesday,
July 20, that she has secured $30
million in a key spending bill to expand
provisions in her COVID-19 Hate Crimes
Act, which President Biden signed into
law in May to help combat the ongoing
hate and violence against Asian Americans
and other impacted communities.
Meng attached the funding to the
Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations
bill. The measure now heads to
the House fl oor, where it is expected
to pass later this month.
“I am so proud of the new $30 million
grant program that would advance
community-based approaches to
addressing hate crimes. This vital
funding would reinforce and expand
the critical groundwork that these
community groups have been doing; it
would help them scale up and expand
out,” Meng said. “I look forward to this
funding being approved by the full
House and passed by the Senate — so
that our neighbors can live free from
hate and violence.”
The money would be provided directly
to community-based organizations to
implement the COVID-19 Hate Crimes
Act’s goal of community engagement,
empowerment and education. One of
the major provisions in the new hate
crimes law directs federal agencies to
work with community-based organizations
to raise awareness of hate crimes
during the COVID-19 crisis.
“Community-based organizations
are the heartbeat of our communities,”
Meng said. “Since the beginning of the
pandemic, they have been on the front
lines standing against the rise in bigotry
and attacks. They’ve worked tirelessly
to help victims and stop this spike in
discrimination and intolerance, and
they have done all this under-resourced.”
As Meng’s COVID-19 Hate Crimes addresses
the problem, the congresswoman
said they must be certain that community
groups have the resources they need
to carry out parts of the new law.
Community-based organizations and
civil rights groups can use the funds for
the following purposes:
• Implementing and facilitating educational
classes and community services
for defendants convicted of hate crimes
(directly related to the community
harmed by the off ensive).
• Culturally competent and linguistically
appropriate public education
campaigns on the collection of data and
public reporting of hate crimes.
• Safety ambassadors to escort vulnerable
community members in public
places.
Congresswoman Grace Meng speaks at the wreath-laying ceremony at the Glendale Veterans Triangle.
Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
• In-language support for victims and/
or surviving families of hate crimes
including mental health support.
• Providing bystander, de-escalation
training in multiple languages.
• Other community-based strategies
deemed appropriate for communities of
color and other vulnerable and historically
disadvantaged communities.
The Commerce, Justice, Science
spending bill funds the U.S. Department
of Justice, Department of Commerce,
and science-related initiatives.
Meng is a senior member of the House
Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce,
Justice, Science and Related
Agencies which determines the funding
levels for the measure. The $30 million
is allocated under a new grant program
called “Community-Based Approaches
to Advancing Justice.”
Other provisions of Meng’s COVID
19 Hate Crimes Act include, among
other things, creating a position at the
Department of Justice to facilitate expedited
review of COVID-19 hate crimes,
encouraging more reporting of incidents
in multiple languages, and expanding
public education campaigns aimed at
raising awareness of hate crimes and
reaching victims.
Meng reintroduced the COVID-19 Hate
Crimes Act in March with Senator Mazie
Hirono (D-HI). It was passed in Congress
with overwhelming and bipartisan support
— 364 to 62 in the House and of 94
to 1 in the Senate.
The congresswoman has received
support from community organizations
both locally and nationally for her
continued eff orts to fi ght against hate.
“The Asian American Federation is
hugely inspired by Congresswoman
Grace Meng’s eff orts. We thank her for
her commitment to support and protect
the millions of hardworking Asian
Americans that continue to help our
nation confront a global pandemic despite
the bias they face,” said Jo-Ann Yoo,
executive director of the Asian American
Federation, which represents the
collective interests of 1.3 million Asian
New Yorkers, across critical issue areas
such as immigrant integration, mental
health, economic development and civic
engagement.
While the nation’s attention may have
shift ed from the wave of violence that
continues to batter Asian American
communities, according to Yoo, they’re
still being called on every day to do the
urgent work needed to protect them
from further attacks.
“Victims and their families continue
to struggle to overcome the terrible
physical, mental and economic toll of
hate violence: our seniors are terrifi ed
to step outside their doors, and parents
are afraid to send their children to
school even aft er months of isolation at
home,” Yoo said.
The Community-based Approaches
to Advancing Justice grant championed
by Meng recognizes that the Asian
American communities are in crisis,
Yoo added.
“This grant is an ambitious and
necessary step to enhance and expand
community engagement, empowerment,
and education against hate,” Yoo said.
John Yang, president and executive
director of Asian Americans Advancing
Justice, said the grant program demonstrates
a commitment for communitybased
responses to anti-Asian hate and
racism, and builds upon the historic COVID
19 Hate Crimes Act passed in May.
Yang further added that they’re
pleased that congress will be funding
community organizations that have the
cultural competency to reach, serve and
support the diverse Asian American
communities through mental health
services, public education campaigns,
training on how to respond to anti-Asian
hate and harassment and more.
“We thank Rep. Grace Meng for her
strong and steadfast advocacy to ensure
that Congress follows through on its
promises to meet the needs of our communities,”
Yang said. “We also extend
our appreciation to the organizations
that have long been working, and have
stepped up during the COVID-19 pandemic,
to protect and support those
who are the most vulnerable.”
“This vital funding
would reinforce and
expand the critical
groundwork that these
community groups have
been doing; it would
help them scale up and
expand out.” –
Congresswoman Meng
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