1 HJR182
2 212401-1
3 By Representatives Wood (R), Nordgren, Hurst, Shaver, Brown
4 (K) and Boyd
5 RFD: Rules
6 First Read: 07-APR-21
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1 212401-1:n:03/30/2021:SM/sm LSA2021-1015
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8 CONDEMNING ALL FORMS OF ANTI-ASIAN SENTIMENT.
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10 WHEREAS, there are 23,000,000 Asian Americans in the
11 United States, constituting seven percent of the population;
12 there are approximately 65,000 Asian Americans in Alabama; in
13 this country, over 2,000,000 Asian Americans are working on
14 the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic as first responders
15 in health care, law enforcement, transportation, and other
16 service industries; and
17 WHEREAS, the use of anti-Asian terminology and
18 rhetoric regarding COVID-19 has contributed to an increase in
19 discrimination and hate crimes towards Asian Americans;
20 according to a recent report, there were nearly 3,800 reported
21 cases in the United States of anti-Asian discrimination
22 related to COVID-19, between March 19, 2020, and February 28,
23 2021; this rhetoric has resulted in Asian Americans being
24 harassed, assaulted, and scapegoated for the COVID-19
25 pandemic; and
26 WHEREAS, acts of discrimination and hate are
27 antithetical to our values as Alabamians and Americans; it is
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1 our duty to promote respect, inclusion, and a welcoming place
2 for all races, national origins, and ethnicities; and
3 WHEREAS, the people of the State of Alabama can play
4 a role in establishing a safe and welcoming environment for
5 all by intervening and reporting instances of discrimination
6 and hate; by showing kindness, love, and empathy to all
7 people; state officials, state law enforcement officials, and
8 local officials can expeditiously investigate and document all
9 credible reports of hate crimes, incidents, and threats
10 against the Asian American community and collect data to
11 document the rise of hate crimes and prosecute perpetrators;
12 and
13 WHEREAS, it is in the public interest of the
14 citizens of the State of Alabama and this great nation to
15 denounce, in the strongest terms, any hate crimes or acts of
16 discrimination or any other form of conduct that constitutes
17 racism based on ethnicity, including incitement to violence
18 resulting from COVID-19, and to encourage positive social
19 behaviors; now therefore,
20 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA, BOTH
21 HOUSES THEREOF CONCURRING, That this body condemns all acts of
22 discrimination and hate perpetrated against the Asian
23 community and all Alabamians be encouraged to assist in the
24 establishment of a safe environment for all residents of this
25 state.
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