U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) today voted in favor of a House resolution (H. Res. 908) condemning anti-Asian bigotry as related to the coronavirus pandemic. An original sponsor of the legislation authored by U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY-06), Pascrell has repeatedly denounced racial stigmas being associated with the virus. H. Res. 908 passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 243-164.

“Passage of our resolution today makes clear that discrimination of any kind against our Asian-American neighbors will not be tolerated,” said Rep. Pascrell. “I want to thank my friend and colleague Congresswoman Grace Meng for her leadership on this issue. Too many members of our community have been subject to threats, bigotry and even violence. It is incumbent on all of us to stop any promotion of stereotypes associated with this virus. Asian-Americans are an integral part of our diverse society and any hatred towards them is unfounded and unwelcome.”

Rep. Pascrell proudly represents one of the largest and most vibrant Korean-American communities in the nation. At the outset of the pandemic, Pascrell organized a solidarity event with the Bergen County Asian-American community at a Korean BBQ restaurant in Palisades Park to denounce racial stigmas being associated with COVID-19. Pascrell also co-signed a letter to Attorney General Bill Barr demanding the Justice Department work to combat hate crimes associated with the virus. In May, he co-sponsored the COVID-19 Hate Crime Act, which demands greater federal government oversight of COVID-19 hate crimes and requires the Department of Justice to provide Congress with regular updates on the status of reported bias incidents.