Publication: Asian Journal
ASIAN Americans cheered the July 12 passage of California’s API Equity Budget, a three-year $156 million initiative which seeks to equip the AAPI community with resources to combat hate crimes.
“This is historic and unprecedented. It is the outcome of many community-based organizations who rallied to get this support to find the best ways we can respond to violence against our community, and to prevent these attacks from occurring in the first place,” said Cynthia Choi, co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action.
... Assemblymember Phil Ting, a Democrat who represents San Francisco and chairs the Assembly Budget Committee, said in a statement: “For decades, API communities have been longing to be seen and heard. The pandemic amplified the need to do more amid rising hate against Asian Americans.”
“Every person has the right to shop, go to school and enjoy our neighborhoods safely without fear of being attacked. It is my hope that with this historic investment our communities feel safe once again,” said Ting.