South Asians for Biden is hosting a virtual event exploring the rise of hate crimes against South Asians on July 22 at 8:00 PM ET. The FBI’s latest report on hate crimes shows that South Asians have been targeted due to both racial and religious biases.
To RSVP for this event, please register here.
Panelists for the event include the following speakers:
- Sam Singh, Policy Director of the Sikh Coalition
- Ghazala Hashmi, State Senator of Virginia’s 10th District
- Parag Mehta, Executive Director and Senior Vice President, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth
- Anurima Bhargava, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)
- Amol Sinha, Executive Director of ACLU-NJ .
Based on a 2018 FBI report, the South Asian community has been victimized by a rise in hate crimes. The panel will explain how these trends are in part being fueled by a President and an administration that has adopted discriminatory rhetoric, and in some cases, encouraged hostile and anti-immigrant sentiment. The distinguished panel will also discuss ways the South Asian community can push back and organize to ensure that the community’s voices are heard on the issues of safety and security relating to crimes of bias. Finally, the panel will discuss how the climate would be different for South Asians under a Biden administration.
The spike in hate crimes comes amidst the Trump administration’s actions against immigrant communities, including attempts to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, a freeze on H1-B visas that primarily targets those of Indian origin, and attempts to outright ban individuals of Muslim faith from America.
“South Asians for Biden is eager to highlight the multitude of reasons why this upcoming election is of critical importance for members of our community,” said Neha Dewan, National Director of South Asians for Biden. “The Trump administration’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and actions against immigrant communities have encouraged discrimination against South Asians in education, business and all aspects of American society. We need strong leadership that will crack down on hate crimes and reverse these troubling trends, which is why it is imperative to elect Vice President Joe Biden.”
South Asians for Biden is a national, grassroots organization that is dedicated to engaging, educating, and mobilizing the South Asian community to help to elect Joe Biden as the next President of the United States.
