Friends,

The demonization of Asian American communities must end.

I was proud to vote to pass the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act to address the drastic increase in right-wing hate speech and violence towards the AAPI community that we’ve witnessed over the course of the pandemic -- and I’m glad that this critical legislation received bipartisan support and was signed into law by President Biden.

But we won’t let Republican elected officials who knowingly parroted Trump’s xenophobic response to the coronavirus off the hook. Words matter -- research has shown that Trump’s use of the phrase “Chinese Virus” led to a major spike in racist, anti-Asian language on social media.

The coronavirus doesn’t care what you look like or where you come from. It’s time for us all to do our part to recognize the challenges facing the AAPI community, and commit to doing everything we can to stop hatred in all its forms.

Let’s lead with love,

Sean Casten