Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) announced Tuesday that she has secured $30 million for the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill as a means of expanding COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act provisions.
The key spending bill is slated for the House of Representatives in anticipation of passage later this month. The funding allotment would aid community-based organizations in addressing the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act’s goal to engage, empower and educate the community. President Biden signed the bill, which Meng introduced, into law on May 20 to help combat the ongoing hate and violence against Asian Americans and other impacted communities.
“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. We must be certain that community groups have the resources they need to carry out parts of the new law.”
Meng said the funds would reinforce and expand community group groundwork through classes and community service for defendants convicted of hate crimes; safety ambassadors to escort vulnerable community members in public places; bystander, de-escalation training in multiple languages; and in-language support for victims and/or surviving families of hate crimes.
“The Community-based Approaches to Advancing Justice grant, championed by Congresswoman Grace Meng, recognizes that our communities are in crisis,” Jo-Ann Yoo, executive director of the Asian American Federation, said. “Victims and their families continue to struggle to overcome the terrible physical, mental, and economic toll of hate violence: our seniors are terrified to step outside their doors, and parents are afraid to send their children to school even after months of isolation at home. This grant is an ambitious and necessary step to enhance and expand community engagement, empowerment, and education against hate.”