The federal government has released its first strategic document containing policy goals and specific implementation plans for each department to prevent Asian hate crimes.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and the U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai announced at the conference on Thursday that they would strengthen policies to promote equity, justice and opportunities for Asian citizens.
“President Biden and Vice President Harris have made it clear from the beginning that they will work to address the needs of underprivileged communities, including Asian-Americans. The national strategy announced this time is the Biden-Harris administration’s overall approach to solving the problem at hand,” he stressed.
“The policy goals and implementations of the 32 organizations in the strategic document are the result of over a year of collaboration between dedicated officials and community officials,” Tai said. “This national strategy is based on a common development to ensure the safety and prosperity of our homes, neighbors and communities.”
According to the document reported to President Joe Biden, 32 ministries will strengthen their response to Asian hate crimes and discrimination, supplement Asian related statistics, expand Asian language services and community contact, and strengthen their capabilities.
In particular, based on the FBI’s hate crime statistics, the document states that the number of hate crimes against Asians increased by 73% compared to the previous year in 2020 alone, and that related countermeasures are being strengthened.
For example, the Federal Ministry of Justice is building a web page containing tips on reporting hate crimes in 24 languages, including Korean, to prevent and respond to hate crimes against Asians. The National Tax Service (IRS) also provides information on its webpage in 20 languages, including Korean, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also provides messages related to COVID-19 in multiple languages.
The Federal Ministry of Education reportedly ordered schools at various levels to investigate the status of hate crimes against Asian countries in May 2021 and demanded school-level efforts to prevent them.
In the case of the State Department, Asian communities expand opportunities to apply for and receive federal subsidies.
In addition, the White House initiative stressed that it will continue to supplement statistics related to AA&NHPI so that the federal government can properly prepare policies for Asians.
In fact, the Federal Bureau of Census are planning to reveal detailed information on the AA&NHPI Group in the 2020 census statistics that will be released this summer.
Meanwhile, under the executive order (EO14031) signed after taking office, President Biden formed people from Asia-Pacific on December 8, 2021 and launched the White House Initiative and Asia-Pacific Policy Advisory Committee to collect and reflect opinions and requirements in various policymaking.
By Jang Yeon-hwa
