By UNE Staff Reporter
Los Angeles—A symposium on Stop the Hate was conducted today in Rowland Heights by KJC International Inc. and UNE News Express amidst rising hate crimes and incidents targeting Asian and the Pacific Islanders (AAPI) communities.
A group of elected officials, community leaders, attorneys at law and civil rights advocates gathered to vocalize their support to all victimized communities, express their concern over the issue and call for actions. Jennifer Liu, CEO of UNE, presided over the symposium.
“Since the start of COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen an alarming increase in attacks against Asia and the Pacific Islanders communities,” said Congresswoman Linda Sanchez. “Hate begins with derogatory terms, stereotypes and ignorance about people who were born different.”
The total number of hate crime events reported in California in 2021 is the sixth highest ever recorded and the highest since hate crime events skyrocketed in 2001 in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, according to the Hate Crime Report released by California Department of Justice on June 28, 2022. The anti-Asian hate crime events once again increased dramatically, rising 177.5% from 2020 to 2021.
“We can only push back and fight back hatred when we begin to call it out,” Sanchez continued. “And we can only make our community a better and safer place if we each choose to act.”
“If you see something, say something,” echoed Simon Pang, Executive Vice President of Royal Business Bank, who also serves as a commissioner to the President Biden’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. “We are one united people. This symposium is very important. Royal Business Bank feels it necessary to collaborate with the community in organizing such an event.”
Other speakers at the symposium include Allen Wu, Mayor of Walnut, Paul Cheng, Mayor Pro Tem of Arcadia, David Fang, legal consultant for Together Against Crime (TACF), Theresa Lee, Second Vice President of Walnut Valley Water District, Frank Lu, representative of Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis, Florence Lin, Community Relations Manager of Asian Youth Center (AYC), Rosalind Liang, president of Inland Chinese American Alliance, Sher Lee, president of Chinese American Foundation, Dr. Chia Yu Teng, candidate for Diamond Bar City Council, Mei Mei Huff, a community leader, Robert Sun, president of TACF, and Heidi Lau, stop Asian Hate program manager of AYC.
(The Stop the Hate project was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.)
