Velázquez Reintroduces Bill to Fund Education Initiatives to Combat Hate Crimes

Washington, D.C. — Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) reintroduced the Education Against Hate Crimes Act. The bill will direct federal resources towards educating youth to better equip the next generation of leaders with the tools needed to confront and counteract prejudice effectively.
 
“Any attack, whether verbal or physical that is motivated by hate and intolerance is anti-American," said Congresswoman Velázquez. “I’m proud to reintroduce this legislation, which will put more weight from the federal government behind fighting these crimes. By educating our communities youth on the ways to prevent and combat hate crimes from a young age, we can inspire change for the future.”
 
In recent years, our nation has grappled with a rapid rise in hate crimes, exacerbated by ongoing international conflicts and global events. In the past month alone, antisemitic incidents have seen a staggering 388% increase, as per preliminary reports. Simultaneously, the Council on American Relations (CAIR) reported 1,238 incidents of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias in recent weeks. Disturbingly, anti-Asian hate crimes escalated by nearly 150 percent in 2020 during the Coronavirus pandemic.
 
The Education Against Hate Crimes Act proposes the following measures:

• Federal grants would be extended to state and local educational agencies, as well as nonprofit organizations, enabling them to implement hate crime prevention and prejudice reduction education programs for secondary and middle school students.
• Priority in federal funding would be accorded to regions witnessing a disproportionate surge in hate crimes.

This bill is also cosponsored by Reps. Elanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Nikema Williams (D-GA)and Adriano Espaillat (D-NY).
 
For a copy of the bill, click here.

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