[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 93 (Friday, May 27, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE JABARA-HEYER NO HATE ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. DONALD S. BEYER, JR.

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 27, 2022

  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.

                          ____________________