The US Congress is considering two different bills that will help prevent anti-Asian violence and racism. The first is the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which would allow the U.S. Attorney General to conduct greater oversight of COVID-19 hate crimes, improve resources to report and collect data on hate crimes, and establish best practices to mitigate discriminatory language tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. The second is the “The Teaching Asian Pacific American History Act would require Presidential and Congressional Academies grant applicants and recipients to include Asian Pacific American history as part of their American history and civics programs offered to students and teachers. The bill would also encourage the inclusion of Asian Pacific American history within national and state tests administered through the National Assessment of Educational Progress and promote collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution’s Asian Pacific American Center to develop innovative programming.” (Representative Manning’s Office)
