WEBVTT - Rep. Grace Meng: How to Stop the Hate 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:03.440 Right now, the COVID nineteen vaccines are available to millions 0:00:03.480 --> 0:00:07.200 of Americans, and soon they will be available to everyone. 0:00:08.400 --> 0:00:12.360 This vaccine meansful. It will protect you and those you 0:00:12.520 --> 0:00:18.439 love from this dangerous and deadly disease. I want to 0:00:18.440 --> 0:00:20.000 go back to work, and I want to be able 0:00:20.040 --> 0:00:23.600 to move around to visit with Michelle's mom the Hugger 0:00:23.680 --> 0:00:26.520 and see her on her birthday. You know I'm really 0:00:26.600 --> 0:00:29.040 looking forward to is going the opening day in Texas 0:00:29.120 --> 0:00:35.640 Rangers Stadium with the full stadium lost enough people in 0:00:35.840 --> 0:00:39.040 which self enough damage. In order to get rid of 0:00:39.040 --> 0:00:43.400 this pandemic, it's important for our fellow citizens to get vaccinated. 0:00:43.720 --> 0:00:46.720 I'm getting vaccinated. We college, we won't just pant to 0:00:46.920 --> 0:00:49.159 end as soon as possible, So we urge you to 0:00:49.200 --> 0:00:52.199 get vaccinated and when it's available to you, so roll 0:00:52.280 --> 0:00:55.160 up your sleeve and do your part. This is our shot. 0:00:55.560 --> 0:01:00.320 Now it's up to you. America is all aways been 0:01:00.360 --> 0:01:02.480 at its best when we're looking out for one another 0:01:02.600 --> 0:01:06.800 and pulling together and common calls. Now, with the development 0:01:06.840 --> 0:01:10.920 of safe and effective COVID nineteen vaccines, we've got the 0:01:11.000 --> 0:01:15.200 chance to rise to the moment again. I encourage every 0:01:15.200 --> 0:01:18.560 American to get vaccinated as soon as it becomes available 0:01:18.600 --> 0:01:21.600 to you, and to feel confident is Hillary and I 0:01:21.640 --> 0:01:24.759 did when we got ours, that it will protect you 0:01:24.840 --> 0:01:27.640 and your loved ones and bring us all one step 0:01:27.760 --> 0:01:35.200 closer to ending this pandemic. Over the last year, the 0:01:35.280 --> 0:01:39.720 COVID nineteen pandemic has sent shockwaves through societies all around 0:01:39.760 --> 0:01:45.160 the world, claiming nearly three million lives, creating economic upheaval 0:01:45.920 --> 0:01:49.920 and exposing systemic inequalities in areas like health and education. 0:01:50.880 --> 0:01:53.920 Here in the United States, the pandemic has had another 0:01:54.000 --> 0:01:58.600 particularly ugly ripple effect, and one that hasn't gotten anywhere 0:01:58.680 --> 0:02:03.480 near the attention it is earths since the outbreak of 0:02:03.480 --> 0:02:07.000 the pandemic, there's been a dramatic rise in hate crimes 0:02:07.000 --> 0:02:10.960 against Asian Americans across our country. These have ranged from 0:02:11.040 --> 0:02:14.680 verbal assaults, divine and attacks, many of which have been 0:02:14.680 --> 0:02:20.079 perpetrated against elderly people, with some causing death. In New 0:02:20.160 --> 0:02:22.280 York City alone, there's been an increase in more than 0:02:22.360 --> 0:02:27.560 eight hundred and anti Asian hate crimes reported in compared 0:02:27.600 --> 0:02:32.080 with these attacks have been fueled both by scapegoating and 0:02:32.200 --> 0:02:39.239 xenophobic rhetoric from public figures, misinformation and outright disinformation, distributed 0:02:39.280 --> 0:02:44.840 and amplified through online platforms and other means. Sadly, they're 0:02:44.880 --> 0:02:48.560 also just the latest and a long and often overlooked 0:02:48.600 --> 0:02:53.080 history of prejudice against Asian Americans, prejudice that they have 0:02:53.200 --> 0:02:58.079 faced throughout our nation's history. So why am I telling 0:02:58.080 --> 0:03:02.520 you this? Because words matter, especially when they're spoken by 0:03:02.520 --> 0:03:07.920 people in power. Stereotypes and slurs and misinformation and disinformation 0:03:08.480 --> 0:03:13.320 can have real, often horrifying consequences. The people being targeted 0:03:13.320 --> 0:03:17.040 by this hatred and racism our friends, our family members, 0:03:17.080 --> 0:03:23.360 our colleagues, our neighbors, and it needs to stop. Today 0:03:23.400 --> 0:03:25.840 I'm joined by a Congresswoman, Grace Ming of New York, 0:03:26.440 --> 0:03:29.600 a leading voice in Congress who's using her platform to 0:03:29.720 --> 0:03:33.760 raise awareness about these attacks, protect the Asian American community, 0:03:34.120 --> 0:03:36.600 and address some of the other inequalities that have been 0:03:36.640 --> 0:03:40.360 worsened by the pandemic. She recently altered the House resolution 0:03:40.480 --> 0:03:45.160 condemning and denouncing all forms of anti Asian sentiments, including 0:03:45.200 --> 0:03:55.440 those related to COVID nineteen. Congresswoman, thank you so much 0:03:55.480 --> 0:03:58.760 for being here today, and thanks for all you're doing 0:03:58.920 --> 0:04:04.240 to call attention to this important issue. Let's start because 0:04:04.240 --> 0:04:07.200 a lot of our people live in areas in America 0:04:07.320 --> 0:04:09.800 who don't have which don't have a lot of Asian Americans. 0:04:10.280 --> 0:04:13.440 Tell us a little bit about yourself and your district 0:04:14.000 --> 0:04:17.840 and what inspired you to run for Congress. Sure. Well, first, 0:04:17.920 --> 0:04:22.840 I wanna thank you, Mr President for uh an amazing 0:04:23.040 --> 0:04:28.240 legacy of service to our country and for providing hope 0:04:29.000 --> 0:04:33.440 for so many across the country still to this day. UM. 0:04:33.480 --> 0:04:36.440 And I'm honored to have this opportunity to come here 0:04:36.440 --> 0:04:40.880 and have this discussion with your followers and fans across 0:04:40.960 --> 0:04:45.559 the country, and thank you for highlighting this important issue. UM. 0:04:45.600 --> 0:04:48.479 Just a little background about myself. I was born and 0:04:48.560 --> 0:04:52.360 raised in Queens, New York, UM, the daughter of immigrants. 0:04:52.520 --> 0:04:55.640 My parents came to this country in the early seventies. 0:04:56.440 --> 0:04:59.400 My dad worked at a restaurant for most of my 0:04:59.560 --> 0:05:02.680 child hood, so I didn't really see him much during 0:05:02.680 --> 0:05:06.680 the week um or the weekend, but we always saw 0:05:06.760 --> 0:05:09.520 him on Monday because that's the day he was off 0:05:09.560 --> 0:05:13.360 and that's when business at the restaurant was the slowest. UM. 0:05:13.720 --> 0:05:17.080 And later on he became a restaurant owner himself. Small 0:05:17.160 --> 0:05:20.800 business owners, similar to the stories of so many immigrant 0:05:20.880 --> 0:05:24.480 families across the country. Regardless of where they came from. 0:05:24.600 --> 0:05:27.040 And also in a lot of the rooms that I 0:05:27.160 --> 0:05:29.040 was in, there just weren't a lot of people who 0:05:29.080 --> 0:05:31.680 look like me, not a lot of minorities, not a 0:05:31.760 --> 0:05:37.560 lot of women. And so you know, I, unexpectedly, without 0:05:37.640 --> 0:05:41.840 any experience, decided to run for the state legislature. I 0:05:41.880 --> 0:05:44.200 didn't win the first time I ran. I tried again, 0:05:44.240 --> 0:05:47.000 and I won. I was there for a few years, 0:05:47.120 --> 0:05:52.040 and one night suddenly heard the news that my congress member, 0:05:52.080 --> 0:05:57.279 Congressman Gary Ackerman, was retiring, and we were shocked. He 0:05:57.320 --> 0:06:01.520 had been there for about thirty years. So within about 0:06:01.600 --> 0:06:06.400 thirty six hours, I went from helping to recruit candidates 0:06:06.720 --> 0:06:10.719 to being recruited myself. My husband playing a large role 0:06:10.760 --> 0:06:14.320 in this uh suggesting that I give it a shot. 0:06:14.360 --> 0:06:17.640 I thought he was crazy. I had just had two 0:06:17.760 --> 0:06:20.320 young kids under the age of three at the time. 0:06:20.960 --> 0:06:25.359 Was probably the worst decision in terms of balancing mom 0:06:25.600 --> 0:06:28.599 life and work life, that I could have made. But 0:06:28.839 --> 0:06:33.000 here I am, um, and so I'm proud to represent 0:06:33.320 --> 0:06:37.160 one of the most diverse districts in New York and 0:06:37.240 --> 0:06:41.000 across the country. We have a little bit of everyone 0:06:41.120 --> 0:06:44.279 from everywhere. We have the best food, and I know, 0:06:44.400 --> 0:06:48.440 President Clinton, you and your family are no strangers to Queens. 0:06:48.720 --> 0:06:52.880 We we adopt you as one of our own. UM. 0:06:53.080 --> 0:06:56.080 And so I'm really privileged to represent a district that's 0:06:56.080 --> 0:06:59.599 completely within Queens. And every day is different, and every 0:06:59.640 --> 0:07:05.320 day you hear new stories, and especially during this COVID pandemic. UM, 0:07:05.320 --> 0:07:08.839 we have seen the best of people, and we have 0:07:08.960 --> 0:07:14.400 seen people go through the worst of situations, heartbreaking stories 0:07:14.640 --> 0:07:18.840 from all corners of our county and our city. For 0:07:18.880 --> 0:07:21.920 those who are listening who don't know, the New York 0:07:21.920 --> 0:07:27.000 City Borough of Queens is the most diverse urban area 0:07:27.320 --> 0:07:31.800 with three million or more people on Earth. It's amazing 0:07:31.840 --> 0:07:36.120 there's somebody there from everywhere. But it has always been 0:07:36.840 --> 0:07:39.920 the borough of New York with the largest Asian population. 0:07:40.000 --> 0:07:42.920 And both Hillary and I have spent a lot of 0:07:43.600 --> 0:07:47.280 happy days with various groups and Queens, as well as 0:07:47.440 --> 0:07:51.680 eating a lot of good food. So let's begin at 0:07:51.720 --> 0:07:56.560 the beginning. What do you think is the cause of 0:07:56.640 --> 0:08:03.160 this sudden, absurd and violence against Asian Americans. Well, so 0:08:03.320 --> 0:08:08.200 it's been about exactly a year actually since our quarantining 0:08:08.280 --> 0:08:12.880 began here in New York State. UM, and when we 0:08:12.880 --> 0:08:16.120 were hearing about the first cases of the virus, I 0:08:16.160 --> 0:08:21.119 think in March, but in the weeks ahead of that, 0:08:21.440 --> 0:08:25.040 before the virus actually came to us here in New York, 0:08:25.680 --> 0:08:29.480 were were already hearing about a different sort of virus, 0:08:29.640 --> 0:08:35.319 that of discrimination and bigotry. We were hearing about people 0:08:36.160 --> 0:08:41.000 being attacked in the subway, people shouting and blaming them 0:08:41.040 --> 0:08:45.600 for bringing the virus over. UM. We heard about people 0:08:45.640 --> 0:08:48.840 being afraid to go to your local Chinese take out 0:08:48.880 --> 0:08:51.839 restaurant because they thought you could catch the coronavirus by 0:08:51.880 --> 0:08:56.360 going to a Chinese or Asian owned business. UM. And 0:08:56.520 --> 0:09:01.600 it was really hurtful to hear the and president, the 0:09:01.679 --> 0:09:06.560 leader of our country, former President Trump, using words like 0:09:06.960 --> 0:09:11.400 Chinese virus and kung flu. And we continue to hear 0:09:11.440 --> 0:09:15.120 that language over the next few months and the next year. 0:09:16.040 --> 0:09:19.640 And not only that, but we heard leaders of the 0:09:19.679 --> 0:09:23.319 Republican Party continued to use words like that, and they 0:09:23.400 --> 0:09:26.160 kept using it, and we kept hearing about more and 0:09:26.240 --> 0:09:32.000 more attacks, verbal to physical happening throughout the country. So 0:09:32.040 --> 0:09:36.160 it's really been a really very heartbreaking year for the 0:09:36.200 --> 0:09:41.520 Asian American community community who really grew up or came 0:09:41.559 --> 0:09:44.480 to this country under the notion that if you just 0:09:45.160 --> 0:09:48.880 blend in and fit in and stay invisible, be quiet 0:09:48.960 --> 0:09:51.400 and do your job. You know you'll make it and 0:09:51.440 --> 0:09:55.200 you'll be seen as American enough. And right now we're 0:09:55.200 --> 0:09:58.679 going through a sort of cultural transformation where we're saying 0:09:58.720 --> 0:10:01.839 to people, know, you have to get out of your 0:10:01.840 --> 0:10:04.520 comfort zone. You have to talk about what happened to you, 0:10:04.559 --> 0:10:08.880 Otherwise it could happen two people you know after you 0:10:09.080 --> 0:10:11.959 in the future. You have to say it out loud 0:10:11.960 --> 0:10:16.000 and report it to protect other people. Um and so 0:10:16.080 --> 0:10:19.120 that's why you know, we're seeing so many incidents, over 0:10:19.240 --> 0:10:23.520 three thousand reported and who knows how many haven't been reported. 0:10:24.120 --> 0:10:27.680 This is not the first time that Asian Americans have 0:10:27.760 --> 0:10:33.000 been targeted in America. Now, last October, you introduced legislation 0:10:33.040 --> 0:10:37.080 to promote teaching of Asian American Pacific history in schools 0:10:37.120 --> 0:10:40.560 across our country. To what extent do you think there's 0:10:40.600 --> 0:10:43.800 a lack of awareness about the history of Asian Americans 0:10:44.040 --> 0:10:48.560 contributing to what's been happening. I've really started to think 0:10:48.600 --> 0:10:52.960 about this actually during the Black Lives Matters protests last year. 0:10:53.800 --> 0:10:57.760 So our country is going through this pandemic. Then we 0:10:57.800 --> 0:11:03.240 witnessed the murder of people like George Floyd, Brianna Taylor, 0:11:04.280 --> 0:11:09.400 and the real, authentic hurt and pain that are black 0:11:09.440 --> 0:11:13.480 brothers and sisters were facing in this country. And what 0:11:13.559 --> 0:11:17.960 we saw, for you know, probably one of the first times, 0:11:19.200 --> 0:11:22.760 was that the people at these protests and rallies weren't 0:11:22.800 --> 0:11:28.360 just black people. They were Asians. They were Latinos, Native Americans, young, old, 0:11:28.480 --> 0:11:33.880 you name it, kids. And I started to be approached 0:11:33.880 --> 0:11:38.080 by a lot of Asian Americans, maybe older, maybe newer 0:11:38.120 --> 0:11:41.640 to this country, who asked why I and why Asian 0:11:41.679 --> 0:11:46.360 Americans cared so much about George Floyd and the Black 0:11:46.360 --> 0:11:49.880 Lives Matter protests, And I had the opportunity had to 0:11:49.960 --> 0:11:56.319 have really raw conversations, uncomfortable but important conversations with them, 0:11:56.360 --> 0:12:00.280 you know, and realizing that gosh, you know, they didn't 0:12:00.320 --> 0:12:03.560 necessarily grow up in this country. They didn't have the 0:12:03.720 --> 0:12:08.120 history lessons to learn about, even topics like segregation that 0:12:08.240 --> 0:12:12.559 we assume everyone knows about um. And this led me 0:12:12.760 --> 0:12:16.600 to think that the history lessons that we as Americans 0:12:16.640 --> 0:12:21.400 have learned in this country have not been complete. I 0:12:21.440 --> 0:12:26.080 barely learned about Chinese immigrants building the railroad. I barely 0:12:26.160 --> 0:12:31.400 learned maybe a paragraph about Japanese incarceration camps. I barely 0:12:31.480 --> 0:12:34.480 learned about the slaves that built the US capital, the 0:12:34.520 --> 0:12:38.959 place where I work every single day. And I realized 0:12:39.000 --> 0:12:41.720 that to make long term change and the long term 0:12:41.760 --> 0:12:46.320 solution to addressing systemic bias and eduction and you know, uh, 0:12:46.640 --> 0:12:51.359 the infrastructure and equities, we have to talk about education. 0:12:51.480 --> 0:12:54.400 We have to teach history in a more complete and 0:12:54.480 --> 0:12:59.439 accurate way. Um. And and that's why I propose this legislation. 0:12:59.559 --> 0:13:02.920 And I to give a shout out to now Secretary 0:13:03.000 --> 0:13:08.600 Marsha Fudge and Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Haucus, Joyce Batty. 0:13:08.760 --> 0:13:12.640 They're working on they've been working on legislation to have 0:13:12.960 --> 0:13:18.360 black history taught more completely in our curriculum across the 0:13:18.400 --> 0:13:21.360 country as well. Um. But I think we have a 0:13:21.400 --> 0:13:26.320 real opportunity here me too. One thing I should have 0:13:26.360 --> 0:13:29.839 said at the beginning is that just a little fact 0:13:29.880 --> 0:13:33.040 that's worth noting. While it is true that the first 0:13:33.120 --> 0:13:38.960 reported case of the coronavirus came out of UHA in China, 0:13:39.240 --> 0:13:46.040 in fact, we now have evidence from tracing that the 0:13:46.080 --> 0:13:51.080 first coronavirus cases in America came from Europe. And look, 0:13:51.160 --> 0:13:55.120 that's the way these things work. People want to understand things, 0:13:55.760 --> 0:13:58.439 and we put each other in categories all the time. 0:13:58.760 --> 0:14:01.320 But if it blinds you to our common humanity and 0:14:01.360 --> 0:14:05.040 to ordinary notions of justice, and even to looking for 0:14:05.200 --> 0:14:09.400 the facts, then your society gets in trouble. And we've 0:14:09.400 --> 0:14:11.360 been in a lot of troubles from the beginning of 0:14:11.400 --> 0:14:18.840 this country because we elevated categories over people. And when 0:14:18.880 --> 0:14:21.920 you do that, you turn people into two dimensional cartoons, 0:14:22.440 --> 0:14:25.240 and you get a big mess on your hands. And 0:14:26.520 --> 0:14:30.880 people who feel they're in a dominant category are tempted 0:14:30.920 --> 0:14:34.720 to abuse others trying desperately to hold on to something 0:14:35.280 --> 0:14:38.600 that they may be losing by their own behavior. And 0:14:38.640 --> 0:14:44.840 you've tried to expose all this. I'm really grateful. We'll 0:14:44.840 --> 0:14:50.920 be right back. Let's talk a little about language and rhetoric, 0:14:51.120 --> 0:14:55.880 um and over and over again. You were out there 0:14:55.920 --> 0:14:59.320 warning the public and elected officials not to blame the 0:14:59.320 --> 0:15:03.480 Asian America and community for COVID nineteen. You condemn the rhetoric, 0:15:03.560 --> 0:15:07.920 You condemn those who are stoking it and fueling these hatas. 0:15:07.920 --> 0:15:12.000 But talk about how that rhetoric and language of people 0:15:12.600 --> 0:15:17.880 who could command of public following contributed to this. How 0:15:17.880 --> 0:15:21.040 did you see it and how did you think that 0:15:21.240 --> 0:15:25.200 it contributed to the coronavirus causing a spike in anti 0:15:25.360 --> 0:15:30.160 Asian sentiment. Well, when I first heard the former president 0:15:30.880 --> 0:15:35.000 use words like Kung fluent Chinese virus, I was really horrified. 0:15:35.680 --> 0:15:38.520 And every time he said it, I thought, Okay, this 0:15:38.560 --> 0:15:41.680 will be the last time. He couldn't possibly continue to 0:15:41.760 --> 0:15:46.120 use it. UM, And even the w h O, the 0:15:46.120 --> 0:15:51.280 World Health Organization, even his own Secretary of Health suggested 0:15:51.480 --> 0:15:55.760 that we don't use words like that, but he continued UM. 0:15:55.960 --> 0:16:00.520 And So while racially motivated harassment of Asian and Americans 0:16:00.880 --> 0:16:06.040 is a longstanding issue and certainly didn't start last year, UM, 0:16:06.080 --> 0:16:11.520 but since COVID nineteen began, the incidents have been, you know, NonStop. 0:16:11.920 --> 0:16:15.400 And when you have a leader in this country who 0:16:15.480 --> 0:16:22.840 has a tremendous platform use words and fuel um false 0:16:23.080 --> 0:16:29.800 facts and and misinformation about the virus UM. And it's 0:16:29.880 --> 0:16:35.960 perpetuated by the leaders, the top leaders of the Republican 0:16:36.000 --> 0:16:39.280 Party in the White House and in the Congress. What 0:16:39.720 --> 0:16:46.720 happens is people Asian Americans are getting shoved, assaulted, spat 0:16:46.800 --> 0:16:51.360 on UM. Just two days ago, in a park right 0:16:51.440 --> 0:16:54.760 near my house, a mom was out with her baby 0:16:55.120 --> 0:16:59.880 and a man came up to her, spat at her direction, 0:17:00.120 --> 0:17:04.000 spat in her direction three times in front of her baby, 0:17:04.240 --> 0:17:08.879 and said, Chinese virus go home. And this happened, you know, 0:17:09.200 --> 0:17:14.280 five ten minutes from my house. So as a parent, 0:17:14.440 --> 0:17:18.600 as a mom, it just breaks my heart to have 0:17:19.000 --> 0:17:21.679 had to talk to my kids about this. I got 0:17:21.760 --> 0:17:26.320 two middle school kids. UM, and it just it scares me. 0:17:26.680 --> 0:17:31.240 It makes me angry. UM and it's just stems from 0:17:31.320 --> 0:17:35.960 false information, UM and and cowardly acts. I think it's 0:17:36.000 --> 0:17:39.520 worth pointing out that this is not just a speech 0:17:39.560 --> 0:17:44.320 she's giving. She represents a this week with a lot 0:17:44.320 --> 0:17:48.119 of Chinese Americans, I had a lot of other Asian Americans. 0:17:49.200 --> 0:17:56.320 Asian American children represent of all of our school students 0:17:56.320 --> 0:18:00.000 in New York City. And we've opened the schools again 0:18:00.000 --> 0:18:04.040 and under certain strict protocols. But of those who have 0:18:04.119 --> 0:18:09.280 returned to the classroom, fewer than twelve or cent or 0:18:09.359 --> 0:18:14.320 Asian Americans. So we're about a third off. And how 0:18:14.400 --> 0:18:15.879 much of that do you think it has to do 0:18:16.000 --> 0:18:20.680 with the discrimination that's occurred. I think it has something 0:18:20.720 --> 0:18:23.560 to do with it. I literally had a mom friend 0:18:23.680 --> 0:18:27.639 text me right before UM, I started talking to you 0:18:27.880 --> 0:18:31.760 saying that it's so nice out it's too bad. I 0:18:31.800 --> 0:18:34.280 can't let my kids play outside. There's no way I'm 0:18:34.359 --> 0:18:37.119 letting them go to the park with all that's happening, 0:18:38.000 --> 0:18:44.639 and that's just heartbreaking to hear. UM. It's also you know, 0:18:44.760 --> 0:18:49.880 parents and educators play a huge role in combating against 0:18:50.320 --> 0:18:55.160 hateful rhetoric and bullying in schools, so they're also scared. 0:18:55.480 --> 0:18:57.880 Some are also scared to send their kids to schools 0:18:57.960 --> 0:19:01.000 because they don't want their kids to be made fun of, 0:19:01.160 --> 0:19:03.959 They don't want them to be bullied, and they know 0:19:04.040 --> 0:19:09.840 that conversations and things that are said could be hurtful. UM, 0:19:10.119 --> 0:19:13.640 And so that that plays a role into you know, 0:19:13.720 --> 0:19:16.159 some of this as well. Can you tell us a 0:19:16.240 --> 0:19:19.399 little bit about some of the community efforts that have 0:19:19.480 --> 0:19:24.199 been made to push back against the discrimination. You know, 0:19:24.400 --> 0:19:29.760 I have been heartened to see so much support from 0:19:29.760 --> 0:19:35.280 other communities. So when I first introduced my resolution for 0:19:35.359 --> 0:19:40.159 Congress to you know, um, speak out and condemn bigotry 0:19:40.200 --> 0:19:45.800 towards Asian Americans, some of the earliest supporters where Karen Bass, 0:19:45.920 --> 0:19:49.719 who at the time was the chairwoman of the Congressional 0:19:49.720 --> 0:19:54.200 Black Caucus, Hawking Castro, chair of the then then chair 0:19:54.200 --> 0:19:57.560 of the Hispanic Caucus, Uh Deb Holland, who is now 0:19:57.560 --> 0:20:03.760 a secretary, name dropping on my super cool colleagues. Um. 0:20:03.800 --> 0:20:06.199 But they stood with us, and they stood, you know, 0:20:06.359 --> 0:20:11.480 publicly at news conferences and at virtual events to condemn 0:20:11.600 --> 0:20:15.880 this sort of violence and bigotry. And I'm so thankful 0:20:15.960 --> 0:20:19.920 we we've had groups like the n DOUBLE A C P, A, 0:20:20.080 --> 0:20:23.040 j C, A, d L, National Urban League, Black Student 0:20:23.080 --> 0:20:28.480 Associations come out and condemn this. And even though I 0:20:28.520 --> 0:20:32.120 live in a really diversity in New York, too often 0:20:32.720 --> 0:20:37.560 different communities are stuck within their own silos. We don't 0:20:37.600 --> 0:20:41.320 have enough opportunities to get to work together and to 0:20:41.840 --> 0:20:47.240 truly appreciate each other. Um. And So even though it's 0:20:47.760 --> 0:20:52.320 largely stemming from these unfortunate incidents, I will say that 0:20:52.359 --> 0:20:55.960 it's really been beautiful to see how these coalitions have 0:20:56.119 --> 0:20:59.960 been building and expanding, and I think in the law 0:21:00.000 --> 0:21:02.440 own run, this will really make our city and our 0:21:02.480 --> 0:21:05.800 country stronger. I also want to point out that when 0:21:05.840 --> 0:21:09.840 you introduced this resolution last year, they passed I think 0:21:09.880 --> 0:21:14.119 two hundred hundred sixty four. Now tell us why you 0:21:14.200 --> 0:21:17.560 reintroduce it. Why did you introduce it again? Since it 0:21:17.560 --> 0:21:22.280 had already passed, so we we did introduce it last 0:21:22.359 --> 0:21:26.680 year past the House, and I was disappointed that one 0:21:27.119 --> 0:21:31.240 and sixty four colleagues, Republican colleagues, couldn't vote for something 0:21:31.280 --> 0:21:36.800 that literally was symbolic and it wasn't political at all. 0:21:37.040 --> 0:21:42.600 I made sure that the content of the resolution wasn't political. UM. 0:21:42.680 --> 0:21:45.199 And this year in Congress, we have a lot of 0:21:45.240 --> 0:21:49.880 new members. You know, last year, I guess for some reason, 0:21:50.160 --> 0:21:54.119 I didn't expect all these hateful incidents to continue and 0:21:54.200 --> 0:21:57.240 to increase. I kept thinking that the end was near. 0:21:58.000 --> 0:22:01.280 And this year we've seen more are incidents than ever 0:22:01.440 --> 0:22:06.040 being reported and being reported by mainstream media. So we 0:22:06.200 --> 0:22:09.600 just felt that it was really important to once again 0:22:09.800 --> 0:22:12.800 take a stance, especially with so many new members of 0:22:12.840 --> 0:22:16.760 Congress and with a new White House. UM, to take 0:22:16.800 --> 0:22:22.160 a stance and to remind people that your elected officials 0:22:22.720 --> 0:22:25.800 denounced this sort of discrimination. And do you think you'll 0:22:25.800 --> 0:22:30.199 get more Republicans this time? I hope so, I really hope. So. 0:22:31.320 --> 0:22:33.879 I think a lot of them are very sympathetic. But 0:22:35.080 --> 0:22:38.840 one of the unfortunate consequences of all this gerrymandering has 0:22:38.880 --> 0:22:42.480 been done is that most Republicans are in districts where 0:22:42.520 --> 0:22:45.080 they're more afraid of a primary than a general election, 0:22:46.040 --> 0:22:49.480 and everything's been turned into politics. I mean, there was 0:22:49.520 --> 0:22:53.479 a poll that came out today on the vaccines or 0:22:53.520 --> 0:22:59.840 recently done by Marris which said that percent of the 0:23:00.000 --> 0:23:03.320 people who voted for President Trump wouldn't take the vaccine 0:23:03.800 --> 0:23:09.400 even though he's taken it. We somehow have to recapture 0:23:10.040 --> 0:23:12.439 a sense of our common humanity and a feeling that 0:23:12.560 --> 0:23:18.320 some things are beyond politics. If every single issue is 0:23:18.320 --> 0:23:23.840 a test of your partisan loyalty, it will all be blind. 0:23:24.119 --> 0:23:27.320 Before long, we will be blind to anything that affects 0:23:27.480 --> 0:23:33.520 someone else. And we have to ask people to go 0:23:33.600 --> 0:23:36.560 back to treating people as they would like to be treated, 0:23:37.480 --> 0:23:41.639 not necessarily as they feel they have been treated. And 0:23:41.840 --> 0:23:45.120 I hope you get more than three votes this time. 0:23:46.119 --> 0:23:51.080 Me too, Me too. Let's talk about the larger impact 0:23:51.119 --> 0:23:54.840 on this. A lot of these events, including the violence 0:23:54.880 --> 0:23:59.800 against Asian Americans, have laid bare structural and equities, a 0:24:00.000 --> 0:24:03.199 loss the board, and it's all happening at once. I 0:24:03.200 --> 0:24:07.439 think that's one of the reasons that we're seeing this 0:24:08.840 --> 0:24:12.080 and one of the reasons I think what you're doing 0:24:12.160 --> 0:24:15.199 is so important is we've got to settle down and 0:24:15.240 --> 0:24:19.160 get people to accept joint responsibility instead of reflectively looking 0:24:19.160 --> 0:24:22.639 for someone to blame. That. That's true, and it plays 0:24:22.680 --> 0:24:26.280 a huge role in all of this. People, especially when 0:24:26.320 --> 0:24:29.640 times are tough, people look for a scapegoat. They need 0:24:29.680 --> 0:24:33.800 a scapegoat, They need to have a better understanding of 0:24:33.960 --> 0:24:38.360 why things are happening, UM, and to help explain the 0:24:38.560 --> 0:24:42.200 inequities that they face, whether it's to themselves or to 0:24:42.280 --> 0:24:47.320 the people around them. And when you already feel like that, 0:24:47.400 --> 0:24:54.400 when you are vulnerable to that sort of frustration and anger, UH, 0:24:54.760 --> 0:24:59.439 false narratives and false news from a leader with a 0:24:59.520 --> 0:25:04.439 large platform like the former president UM really adds fuel 0:25:04.560 --> 0:25:09.359 to the fire. UM. And so that's why it was 0:25:09.440 --> 0:25:13.919 so so damaging UM two for him to sort of 0:25:14.000 --> 0:25:18.720 lean in on people who are desperate and looking for help, 0:25:18.760 --> 0:25:27.800 looking for a scapegoat. We'll be right back. Let's talk 0:25:27.800 --> 0:25:29.760 about another thing I know you care a lot about. 0:25:30.720 --> 0:25:35.040 In the last year, almost three million American women have 0:25:35.240 --> 0:25:39.040 left our labor force, and these three million women were 0:25:39.040 --> 0:25:42.439 forced to choose between their jobs and either caring for 0:25:42.560 --> 0:25:47.600 children or other family members. By and large, so last February, 0:25:47.680 --> 0:25:51.400 last month, you introduced what you call the Marshall Plan 0:25:51.520 --> 0:25:56.040 for Moms, which specifically aims to help mothers return to 0:25:56.080 --> 0:25:59.480 the workforce. Tell us a little about why you did it, 0:25:59.680 --> 0:26:02.480 what the bill doesn't, What do you think it would 0:26:02.480 --> 0:26:08.480 mean for economic recovery? Sure? Well, like you said, millions 0:26:08.520 --> 0:26:13.080 of women have left the labor force entirely, about one 0:26:13.160 --> 0:26:16.159 million of those women or moms, they've been forced to 0:26:16.280 --> 0:26:20.720 choose between their jobs and to care for people in 0:26:20.760 --> 0:26:23.960 their own family, whether it's their kids or whether it's 0:26:24.160 --> 0:26:28.439 their their own parents and relatives. Um. I've been working 0:26:28.480 --> 0:26:35.679 on this Martiall Plan for Moms with Senator Klobachar, Senators Duckworth, 0:26:36.040 --> 0:26:41.439 and the former head of Girls who Code Rushima, so Johnny. Um. 0:26:41.600 --> 0:26:48.960 And it is a resolution that hopefully will lift up 0:26:49.000 --> 0:26:53.480 the voices and the christ for help that moms are 0:26:54.160 --> 0:26:59.119 screaming out for help across this country. And we want 0:26:59.200 --> 0:27:02.920 to make or that as we come out of this pandemic, 0:27:03.440 --> 0:27:06.520 that we are doing whatever we can to reform and 0:27:06.560 --> 0:27:12.920 to restructure this infrastructure of childcare and to help them 0:27:13.200 --> 0:27:17.000 return to the workforce if they want to, and to 0:27:17.200 --> 0:27:23.960 help stabilize the childcare industry. Um. You know, moms across 0:27:24.000 --> 0:27:28.920 the country have been facing a public health, economic and 0:27:29.040 --> 0:27:34.720 caregiving crisis. Especially moms of color have been pushed to 0:27:34.760 --> 0:27:40.520 the brink of economic, social, and emotional collapse during this 0:27:40.720 --> 0:27:46.639 past year. They're shouldering all these burdens childcare, remote learning, 0:27:46.760 --> 0:27:53.400 remote work, telehealth, um and oftentimes without much support and 0:27:53.440 --> 0:27:59.199 in social isolation. And so look, moms are always fighting 0:27:59.200 --> 0:28:03.720 in uphill, bad at all against gender norms, um ratio 0:28:03.840 --> 0:28:09.200 and gender pay equity. But you know, this pandemic really 0:28:09.280 --> 0:28:16.760 exacerbated already struct existing structural inequalities UM and so our 0:28:16.800 --> 0:28:22.080 plan is really a framework for moms to help revitalize 0:28:22.359 --> 0:28:26.040 our moms in the workforce. We have an opportunity for 0:28:26.280 --> 0:28:31.840 transformational structural change, and I really want Congress and our 0:28:31.920 --> 0:28:36.840 leaders in the government, corporate, all leaders to take advantage 0:28:36.840 --> 0:28:39.440 of this moment. I think that some of the things 0:28:39.480 --> 0:28:42.880 in this relief bill that you just passed like a 0:28:42.920 --> 0:28:47.000 good beginning on that, including giving cash allowances to families 0:28:47.040 --> 0:28:50.360 for the number of children they have, and talk a 0:28:50.400 --> 0:28:53.240 little about that, because most people just know about the 0:28:54.320 --> 0:28:57.719 check and where the income cut off is. But there 0:28:57.720 --> 0:29:03.520 are actually some really remarkable innovative changes here. Definitely, I'm 0:29:03.560 --> 0:29:07.840 so thankful to our leaders President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, 0:29:08.240 --> 0:29:15.080