Daniel Dae Kim delivers powerful message to congress at anti-Asian violence hearing: ‘We are united, and we are waking up’

‘You may consider us statistically insignificant now. But...we are the fastest growing racial demographic in the country. We are 23 million strong. We are united. And we are waking up’

Daniel Dae Kim delivered a powerful speech to congress on Thursday where Asian American lawmakers and advocates testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties on anti-Asian discrimination and violence.

The Lost and Hawaii Five-0 actor has been a vocal critic of the rise in anti-Asian violence currently underway in the US. Yesterday (17 March), he appeared on TODAY to speak out against the recent incidents of violence against Asian Americans, calling on all Americans to use their voice in stopping anti-Asian hate crimes: “It's not an Asian American issue, it's a human issue,” he said.

Speaking to the House today (18 March), Kim said of a bill condemning anti-Asian sentiment: “I was disheartened to find that for a bill that required no money or resources, just a simple condemnation of acts of hate ...164 members of Congress – all Republican – voted against it.

“We as Asian Americans have come to this country because we believe in the American dream,” Kim continued. “Many of us have succeeded. Some of us are even the frontline healthcare workers upon on who we've all come to depend during this terrible pandemic.

“But many of us are struggling, too. In fact, the wealth disparity between the richest Asian Americans and the poorest is the largest of any ethnic group in America. In New York, Asian Americans have a higher poverty rate than any other minority group, where fully one in four are living below the poverty line. And poverty rates among Asian American seniors are much higher than the national average. That's something to consider as we watch the most vulnerable in our community get taunted, pushed, slashed, and murdered.

“Despite this disparity of experience, we continue to be tagged 'the model minority'. We simply cannot continue to live with the myth that the most successful of us represents the totality of us.

“Let me just say, that there are several moments in a country's history that chart its course indelibly for the future,” Kim concluded. “For Asian Americans, that moment is now. What happens right now, and over the course of the coming months, will send a message for generations to come, as to whether we matter. Whether the country we call home chooses to erase us, or include us. Dismiss us, or respect us. Invisiblise us, or see us. We are 23 million strong. We are united, and we are waking up.”

The hearing follows a series of hate crimes against Asian Americans, as well as three shootings at Atlanta-area spas on Tuesday (17 March), where in eight people, six of whom were Asian women, were killed.