Carolyn Bourdeaux: “I thank Chairwoman Maloney for yielding. Across our country, the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community has felt…”

“I thank Chairwoman Maloney for yielding. Across our country, the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community has felt deeply under attack. Over the past year, xenophobic political leaders used dangerous rhetoric to stir up hatred against many immigrant communities, including the Asian-American community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Soon, words became action, and on March 16, 2021, the Atlanta area saw the tragic and, in some ways, inevitable result when eight lives were taken from us. The victims of this attack included mothers and grandmothers, fathers and sons, teachers and veterans. These are lives that cannot be restored, leaving pain that cannot be forgotten. Today, we honor their memories. Tomorrow, the House will vote on a bipartisan and bicameral resolution that I coauthored with Chair Judy Chu of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. It calls on Congress to affirm our commitment to combat hate and bigotry against the AAPI community and condemns the hateful actions taken in Atlanta. It is a step in the right direction, but only a step. America is and has always been a nation of immigrants, a fact that deserves to be celebrated. I proudly represent one of the most diverse districts in the Nation, with about a quarter of my constituents having been born in another country. When one group of Americans is hurting, we are all hurting.…”