Attorneys General Hold Forum on Combatting AAPI Hate
May 06, 2021
Veteran Lee Wong talks about his experiences with racism.
Attorneys general, members of Congress, business and organization leaders, and activists came together on May 4 for A Community United: A National Convening Against Anti-AAPI Hate, a forum co-hosted by Attorneys General Karl Racine (District of Columbia) and William Tong (Connecticut) along with the Attorney General Alliance.
Taking place during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the all-day event focused on raising awareness of hate against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and discussing actionable steps to prevent it. In a pre-recorded statement, Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff said now is the time to “re-commit ourselves to stop hate of all kinds and fight for a more just and equitable society.”
In his opening comments, Racine said that attendees should be prepared to hear some uncomfortable things. He asked for patience. “Stick with us because I promise that we’ll give you hope, inspiration, and equip you with real action for change,” he said. He also asked attendees to question how they might better act as “an agent for peace.”
In an emotional tour of a community’s trauma, presenters and panelists told personal stories of struggle, with many describing the Asian American experience as one of isolation and disregard. A video played prior to his keynote address showed U.S. military veteran Lee Wong talking about how people have questioned his patriotism because of his ethnicity.
“They can’t get over this face,” said Wong, 69, a member of the board of trustees of West Chester Township, Ohio, while lifting his shirt at a March 2021 trustee meeting to show scars stretching across his chest from his time in the military. “Is this patriot enough?”
In his speech, Wong recalled being savagely beaten as a college student in a racially motivated attack. Believing that Wong was Japanese, the perpetrator hurled racial slurs during the assault and again in court proceedings. Wong, who is ethnically Chinese, was born and raised in Malaysia, immigrated to the United States when he was 18, and served in the military for 20 years.
Other speakers discussed incidents whose impacts were less physical, but no less traumatizing.
Many of those incidents occurred long before the coronavirus outbreak, but COVID-19 has had a particularly harmful impact.
A. B. Cruz III, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, summed up the conundrum presently facing Asian Americans: “We as a community are facing multiple threats. You’ve got the actual virus and then, of course, the rise in bias-motivated hate crimes.” Cruz moderated a panel discussion that looked beyond these more recent developments to consider the larger history of hate, prejudice, and exclusion faced by the AAPI community.
John C. Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, talked about being an undocumented immigrant and pursuing citizenship while working as a second-year associate at a major law firm. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 was responsible for opening his path to citizenship, Yang said. The law’s passage informed his perception that litigation, advocacy, and working together as a community could lead to positive change, he added.
Yang also expressed the need for collaborative efforts regarding racism experienced by other communities. “Yes, there’s a history of anti-Asian racism that we should talk about, but it’s not lost on me that over this last year . . . we also saw Breonna Taylor, we saw George Floyd. We just saw Daunte Wright. We saw an insurrection at the Capitol,” Yang said. “That’s all part of the same history, part of the same racism that we need to address together.”
Other discussions addressed initiatives that are already underway. One panel focused on law enforcement’s outreach efforts in the Asian community, while another examined allyship, intervention in racially motivated harassment, and support for survivors. A third panel dealt with representation and equity in business, education, and government.
The event is the latest in Racine’s yearlong initiative, “The People v. Hate: Standing Up for Humanity,” as president of the National Association of Attorneys General. The initiative seeks to raise awareness of hate and bias, prevent hate from taking root, and support D.C. residents who have experienced hate. It’s also an extension of the work Racine has undertaken with Tong. Both previously co-authored an opinion piece in The Hill warning of the rise in anti-Asian hate crime early in the pandemic.
In his closing comments, Racine reiterated the theme of collaboration. “You are not alone. My brothers and sisters in the Asian American and [Pacific Islander] community, you have strong allies and strong friends who want to learn more about you and be with you at these times of need. Hate should have no refuge.”
Other speakers at the event included U.S. Reps. Judy Chu and Ted Lieu of California and Grace Meng of New York; Amanda Nguyen, CEO and founder of Rise and 2019 Nobel Peace Prize nominee; and U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.
