California has a chance to advance major AAPI equity bill. It just needs Newsom’s support

Since the start of the pandemic, xenophobia and bigotry against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community have escalated to unprecedented levels. Over the past year, I have worked with fellow Hollywood allies to bring awareness and action to fight these anti-Asian hate crimes. This problem — the explosion of hate toward Asian Americans — needs to be our utmost priority.

Stop AAPI Hate has received more than 6,600 reports of hate crimes and incidents of discrimination since March 2020. Almost half of those incidents were reported in California. These racist attacks have disproportionately affected the most vulnerable members of the community, including elders, young people and women who report hate incidents two times as often as AAPI men.

The Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Equity Budget, a historic initiative to advance equity for the API community, was adopted in the legislature’s budget bill, but we need Gov. Gavin Newsom’s agreement to include it in the state budget. The budget package is the first significant attempt in California aimed specifically at addressing hate crimes and incidents against the API community.

The proposal provides much-needed victim services and prevention, a statewide hate incidents hotline and a safe schools program to address aggression against API students. The package also provides long-term measures including data collection, in-language services and an Office of Racial Equity.

Anti-API racism has a long history in California and stems from centuries of racist rhetoric and policies that targeted API communities. The Page Act of 1875 prohibited mostly East Asian women from entering the country because they were all viewed as prostitutes. In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was the first immigration policy to single out a community by race. Alien Land Laws prevented many Asian immigrants from becoming citizens and, ultimately, from owning land. Filipino immigration was also limited in 1934.

Executive Order 9066 of 1942 led to the internment of over 120,000 people of Japanese descent, most of whom were citizens. At the same time, California passed a resolution that led to the firing of all state employees of Japanese descent. These policies helped give permission to treat Asians and Pacific Islanders as “other” instead of as Americans and they continue to galvanize anti-API sentiment today.

Although many of these laws have been repealed, there are still many barriers to services. The API community is diverse and requires culturally competent and multi-language services. Our state services lack dis-aggregated data and access to in-language resources which prevents API community members from accessing government services and participating in key surveys that help policymakers make necessary changes to improve the quality of life for all Californians.

The API Equity Budget package allocates $210 million over a three-year period to API communities across the state. This investment is less than 0.1% of the total budget and will ensure there is an adequate response to the surge in anti-API hate and violence over the past year. It also takes long overdue steps in addressing the racial inequities that have affected the API community since the 1800s.

The API Equity Budget is thoughtfully planned and ensures that victims of hate crimes get help from trusted messengers. This proposal also ensures each member of our community is seen by investing in data equity and creating an interpreters corps that allows every voice to be heard.

We have an opportunity to address violence that has been overlooked for decades. It is time to take steps to protect all of our citizens.

This story was originally published June 25, 2021 at 5:00 AM.