Aditya Kalahasti
Pronouns: he/him/his
Research Mentor(s): Melissa Borja
Research Mentor School/College/Department: American Culture / LSA
Program: UROPF
Session: Session 5 (2:40pm – 3:30pm)
Authors: Aditya Kalahasti, Melissa Borja
Abstract
This study analyzes the relationship between politicians’ responses to incidents of Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) hate and the racial demographics of the districts that they represent. This research analyzes federal legislation, specifically a Resolution to Condemn all forms of anti-Asian sentiment as related to COVID–19, as introduced by Rep. Grace Meng of New York both in March of 2020 and 2021. This study compared co-sponsors of each bill, specifically if the co-sponsors in favor of each resolution tended to be from districts with higher than average AAPI populations (greater than 6.2%). The research found that politicians representing districts with a higher than average AAPI population more frequently voted in favor of resolutions condemning anti-Asian hate speech. This study may help us understand the relationship between the racial composition of a district and their representatives’ commitment to legislative action to respond to the discrimination faced by minority groups in their district. It additionally invites reflection on whether changing racial demographics will result in more legislative focus on discrimination faced by minority groups, and whether politicians often see themselves more as representing their district solely rather than including the nation as a whole.
