HR 1

as introduced - 91st Legislature, 2020 5th Special Session (2020 - 2020) Posted on 10/14/2020 10:36am

A House resolution
expressing the sense of the Minnesota House condemning all forms of anti-Asian
sentiment related to COVID-19.

WHEREAS, 23 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders account for seven percent of
the Nation's population in the United States; and

WHEREAS, over two million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are working on the
frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic response in health care, law enforcement, first responders,
transportation, supermarkets, and other service industries; and

WHEREAS, the use of anti-Asian terminology and rhetoric related to COVID-19, such as
the "Chinese Virus," "Wuhan Virus," and "Kung-flu," have perpetuated anti-Asian stigma and since
January 2020, there has been a dramatic increase in reports of hate crimes and incidents against
people of Asian descent; and

WHEREAS, the increased use of anti-Asian rhetoric has resulted in Asian Americans being
harassed, assaulted, and scapegoated for the COVID-19 pandemic and Asian-American businesses
being targeted for vandalism; and

WHEREAS, the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention recognize that naming COVID-19 by its geographic location or linking it to a specific
ethnicity perpetuates stigma; and

WHEREAS, the Secretary General of the United Nations called for international solidarity
and an end to any ill-founded discrimination of the pandemic's victims; NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the State of Minnesota that it calls
on all public officials to condemn and denounce any and all anti-Asian sentiment in any form;
recognizes that the health and safety of all Americans, no matter their background, must be of
utmost priority; condemns all manifestations of expressions of racism, xenophobia, discrimination,
anti-Asian sentiment, and ethnic or religious intolerance; calls on State and local law enforcement
officials to investigate and document all credible reports of hate crimes and incidents and threats
against the Asian-American community in Minnesota; and encourages the leadership of Minnesota
to build more inclusive, diverse, and tolerant societies and to combat misinformation and
discrimination that puts Asian Americans at risk.