Press Releases
03/23/2021
Attorney General Tong Statement Regarding Rep. Winkler's Comment on Asian-American Discrimination
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong released the following statement in response to Representative Michael Winkler’s comments regarding discrimination against Asian-Americans.
“I’d like to say I cannot believe that Representative Winkler would say that Asian-Americans do not count and have not been discriminated against. Except, I can believe it because I was asked myself as a member of the House of Representatives during a debate whether Asian-Americans count as people of color. Let me assure you that Asian-Americans count and the hate and discrimination against us is real, and it has gotten people hurt and killed,” said Attorney General Tong. “The Chinese Exclusion Act was real. The forced internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans on U.S. soil was real. The beating death of Vincent Chin was real. Donald Trump’s malicious scapegoating of Asian-Americans for his own failure to respond to the coronavirus pandemic was real. The murder of six Asian women in Atlanta just last week was real. The history of bias and hate against Asian-Americans in this country is long and largely invisible, an unfortunate reality that has been highlighted by the ignorant comments made by Representative Winkler. The myth of the so-called ‘model-minority’ is a dangerous fiction that for too long has allowed this country to erase and ignore this shameful history. I invite Representative Winkler to seize this moment as a teaching opportunity, to educate himself by speaking to his Asian-American neighbors and colleagues, and to commit to joining me and others in fighting discrimination in all forms.”
- Twitter: @AGWilliamTong
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Media Contact:
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