1.1A Senate concurrent resolution
1.2condemning acts of violence, racism, and hate against Minnesotans of Asian descent.
1.3WHEREAS, America is not defined by race, ethnicity, social status, religious beliefs, partisan
1.4politics, class, or creed. America is a nation of immigrants and people of the first nation. Our
1.5constitution of "We the People" guarantees inalienable rights and equality for all under the law;
1.6and
1.7WHEREAS, Minnesota, as said by our Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, is the land of
1.8Dakota and Ojibwe people and is welcomed to all; and
1.9WHEREAS, dating back to the 1800s, a record number of Asians became Americans and
1.10Minnesotans, creating deep roots in our country, much like the many people who came from
1.11European countries or other places around the world. Their hopes and dreams were the same as
1.12any group escaping persecution or coming to start a new life. However, many Americans still see
1.13Asian-Americans as foreigners to this country. This is not acceptable and must change; and
1.14WHEREAS, for over 200 years, Asian-Americans have had the collective experience of
1.15being the subject of harassment, bullying in schools, public racial assaults, scapegoating and racial
1.16mocking at workplaces, victims of employment bias, hate, xenophobia, and more, despite their
1.17worthy and comparable contributions to the growth of America and Minnesota; and
1.18WHEREAS, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Asian American/Pacific Islander
1.19(AAPI) community has experienced increased discrimination, harassment, and racialized attacks
1.20in every public sphere; and
1.21WHEREAS, as of the end of February, Stop AAPI Hate has received 3,800 reports of hate
1.22incidents stemming back to March 2020, which is only a fraction of the number of hate incidents
1.23that actually occur; and
2.1WHEREAS, reported harm experienced by the AAPI community includes verbal harassment,
2.2shunning, physical assault, online harassment, and civil rights violations, including workplace
2.3discrimination, refusal of service, and being barred from transportation; and
2.4WHEREAS, AAPI women are twice as likely to be targeted and have reported hate incidents
2.52.3 times more than men; and
2.6WHEREAS, historical hate crimes against Asian-Americans included the Chinese Exclusion
2.7Act, the Japanese-American internment camps, organized attacks on Texas Vietnamese-Americans'
2.8shrimp businesses, countless beatings and killing of Asians without cause, wrongful violence against
2.9people of South-Asian descent after 9/11, derogatory COVID-19 association to people of Asian
2.10descent, and the recent mass shooting of Asian women, among many other racist incidents; and
2.11WHEREAS, Minnesota is known for welcoming victims of the Chinese Exclusion Act,
2.12resettling Japanese-Americans after World War II, having a high number of Korean adoptees and
2.13becoming home to Hmong and other Southeast-Asian refugees; and
2.14WHEREAS, Asian-Minnesotans are estimated to be over 300,000 in population, working as
2.15small business owners in northern Minnesota to meat processing plants in the southern part of our
2.16state, as well as building thriving cultural communities in the Twin Cities metropolitan area; and
2.17WHEREAS, from the first settlement of Asian Americans within Minnesota to now, there
2.18have been countless xenophobic incidents toward the community, and many go unreported. The
2.19recent hate crimes against the Asian-American community surged during the COVID-19 pandemic
2.20and we must do something to address this unacceptable behavior; and
2.21BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the State of Minnesota that we condemn any act of
2.22violence, racism, and hate against Minnesotans of Asian descent and denounces racial epithets of
2.23any form.
2.24BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all senators in the Minnesota State Senate do hereby
2.25recognize, celebrate, and honor the rich cultures and contributions of our AAPI families, friends,
2.26and neighbors.
2.27BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the surge of anti-Asian assault and violence is
2.28unacceptable. We must do our part in combating racism and hate crimes against Asian-Americans
2.29through our collective action in workplaces, schools, and public areas.
2.30BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the State of Minnesota, the House of Representatives
2.31concurring: that addressing hate, violence, and racism requires education by all of us and civil rights
2.32protections to our most vulnerable members.
2.33BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is directed to prepare an
2.34enrolled copy of this resolution, to be authenticated by his signature and those of the Senate Majority
3.1Leader, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Chief Clerk of the House of
3.2Representatives.