Recognizing the One-Year Anniversary of the Jabara-Heyer No Hate Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of last Friday, May 20, 2022, being the one-year anniversary of President Biden signing into law the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which included the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act.

This law was named after victims of two high-profile hate crimes: Khalid Jabara, who was killed in 2016 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Heather Heyer, who was murdered in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. The murders of these two individuals were prosecuted as hate crimes but not reported in hate crime statistics.

The Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act is aimed at improving hate crime statistics and promoting a better response to hate crime within communities. At a time when hate crimes against Asian American communities as well as hate crimes against other people of color, religious minorities, immigrants, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ community are increasing, this legislation is crucial to driving community-centered policies that reflect the needs of people targeted for hate.

Through this bill, Congress and the President sent a powerful message that we must center communities targeted for hate and invest resources to meet their needs. The legislation is a significant first step in achieving meaningful hate crime reporting and prioritizing law enforcement accountability and community empowerment in the federal, state, and local responses to hate crime.

I want to also commend the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights for their work to mark the anniversary last week with a celebration of Humanity Over Hate, culminating in a webinar that featured interviews with the families of victims of hate, including Heather Heyer's mother Susan Bro and Khalid Jabara's sister Victoria Jabara.

In the wake of the horrific tragedy in Buffalo, where an alleged white supremacist murdered 10 people, most of whom were Black, it is more important than ever that we commit to confronting anti-Black hatred and white supremacy.

Please join me in commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act and continuing to confront anti-Black hatred and white supremacy.

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