HE&R Marks Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month
This email is part of a series sent to employees as HE&R celebrates Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month throughout May.
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Good morning,
With the uptick in news coverage around Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM), we wanted to share the latest updates with you. As has been widely reported in the media, Asians and Pacific Islanders have been the target of recent violence and increased hate crimes. In response, the House of Representatives passed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act just last week. Previously passed by the Senate, the bill now goes to President Biden to sign. According to NPR.com, “...it instructs the Department of Justice to designate a point person to expedite the review of hate crimes related to COVID-19. The bill also would expand efforts to make the reporting of hate crimes more accessible at the local and state levels, including providing online reporting resources that are available in multiple languages.”
With a documented 6,603 hate incidents reported from March 2020 to March 2021, according to Stop AAPI Hate, the hope is the bill quickly stops the heinous crimes toward this group of people.
“For every incident that gets reported, then, there are many more that we don't hear about. So these numbers only capture part of the picture. That is deeply sobering.”
How can you help change this terrible trend? Educate yourself. These podcasts from Apple offer a look at AAPI ‘History 101.’ Have discussions with the children in your life about these important topics by reading with them, answering their questions, and encouraging open, honest discussions. Small steps will help increase our awareness and understanding of all ethnicities.
Thank you.
Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company is proud to help fulfill the dream of our founder, Milton S. Hershey, by providing value to Milton Hershey School® in its mission of helping students lead happy, healthy, and fulfilling lives - just as Mr. Hershey intended.
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