The White House rolled out the first-ever strategy to advance Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian communities Tuesday in a townhall online meeting as the country continues to grapple with anti-Asian hate crimes.

Hate incidents against Asian Americans soared in the aftermath of the pandemic as Asians became scapegoats for COVID-19 which started in Wuhan, China.

The new strategy features plans by 32 federal agencies calling for combatting anti-Asian hate and better language access for non-native speakers. FBI data shows that anti-Asian hate crimes increased 73% in the past two years while overall hate crimes rose 13%.

John Tien, deputy secretary of Homeland Security, said in the online gathering it’s important that Asian communities understand there is support.

“It’s on us, the government, to do better,” Tien said.

Communication can be a matter of life and death, Tien said, adding that language access is crucial. Translations are provided in Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese, as well as other languages.

On the law enforcement end, 55 defendants were prosecuted in 2021 with 50 convictions in bias crimes against Asian Americans, said Associate U.S. Attorney General Vanita Gupta. Federal departments across all sectors are involved to ensure communities are safe, she said.

To combat hate crimes, $20 million is being spent on law enforcement and community groups, creating funding for hotlines and other safety measures. There are more than 18 million Asian Americans in the United States, the fastest-growing ethnic group in the country according to the 2020 Census.

The report from various federal departments Tuesday come after President Joe Biden’s executive order in May 2021. In the executive order, government agencies drew plans to advance equity and justice for Asian Americans.

The White House Initiative on Asian Americans Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders is the first national plan of its kind with elected officials, federal leaders, community members and prominent Asian Americans working together to combat racism.

According to the nonprofit agency Stop AAPI Hate, more than 11,500 hate incidents against Asian Americans have been reported between March 2020 and March 2022. Harassment is a major problem, with 67% of the incidents involving hate speech.

The Asian American community has suffered severe mental health anguish due to being stereotyped and targeted as America grappled with the effects of the pandemic, said Korean American actor Daniel Dae Kim. The hate crimes in cities such as New York, Dallas, Atlanta, San Francisco have targeted the elderly and Asian women. A community that has been reluctant to speak out due to cultural norms is now active.

“I have never seen our community come together as it has,” Kim said.

Mary Chao is a Specialty Reporter at Scripps News covering Asian American issues and real estate. Email mary.chao@scripps.com.

NEW YORK —

A woman was pushed to her death in front of a subway train at the Times Square station Saturday, police said, a little more than a week after the mayor and governor announced plans to boost subway policing and outreach to homeless people in New York City's streets and trains.

The man believed responsible fled the scene but turned himself in to transit police a short time later, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at a news conference with Mayor Eric Adams at the station.

The 40-year-old victim, identified as Michelle Alyssa Go of New York, was waiting for a southbound R train around 9:40 a.m. when she was apparently shoved, according to police.

“This incident was unprovoked, and the victim does not appear to have had any interaction with the subject,” Sewell said.

A second woman told police the man had approached her minutes earlier and she feared he would push her onto the tracks.

“He approaches her and he gets in her space. She gets very, very alarmed,” Assistant Chief Jason Wilcox said, describing the earlier encounter. “She tries to move away from him and he gets close to her, and she feels that he was about to physically push her onto the train. As she’s walking away she witnesses the crime where he pushes our other victim in front of the train.”

Police on Saturday night identified the suspect as 61-year-old Simon Martial. Martial, who police said is homeless, was charged with second-degree murder. It was not immediately known whether he had an attorney who could comment.

Wilcox said Martial has a criminal history and has been on parole.

“He does have in the past three emotionally disturbed encounters with us that we have documented,” he said.

Subway conditions and safety have become a worry for many New Yorkers during the pandemic. Although police statistics show major felonies in the subways have dropped over the past two years, so has ridership, making it difficult to compare.

And some recent attacks have gotten public attention and raised alarms. In September, three transit employees were assaulted in separate incidents on one day. Several riders were slashed and assaulted by a group of attackers on a train in lower Manhattan in May, and four separate stabbings — two of them fatal — happened within a few hours on a single subway line in February.

In recent months there have been several instances of people being stabbed, assaulted or shoved onto the tracks at stations in the Bronx, Brooklyn and at Times Square.

Saturday's attack against Go, who was of Asian descent, also raised concerns amid a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in New York and around the country. Police officials said the killing, including whether it was a hate crime, was under investigation, but noted that the first woman Martial allegedly approached was not Asian. Martial is Black.

“This latest attack causing the death of an Asian American woman in the Times Square subway station is particularly horrifying for our community," Margaret Fung, executive director of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, said. She said the community was still mourning the Dec. 31 death of Yao Pan Ma, a Chinese immigrant who was attacked in April while collecting cans in East Harlem.

"These attacks have left Asian Americans across the city and across the country feeling vulnerable and they must stop,” Fung said in a statement.

Adams, who has been mayor for two weeks, has noted that a perception of danger could drive more people to eschew the subway, complicating the city's economic recovery as it tries to draw people back to offices, tourist attractions and more.

“We want to continue to highlight how imperative it is that people receive the right mental health services, particularly on our subway system,” the mayor said Saturday. “To lose a New Yorker in this fashion will only continue to elevate the fears of individuals not using our subway system.”

“Our recovery is dependent on the public safety in this city and in the subway system,” Adams said.

Under his predecessor, Bill de Blasio, the city repeatedly said it was deploying more police to subways after attacks last year and pressure from transit officials. The agency that runs the subway system, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, sped up work to install security cameras in all 472 subway stations citywide, finishing that project in September.

However, the city also has repeatedly faced complaints in recent years about heavy-handed policing in subways. Protests erupted, for example, after police were seen on bystander video handcuffing a woman they said was selling churros without a license at subway stations in 2019 and punching a Black teenager during a brawl on a subway platform that same year.

Six police officers were assigned to the station Saturday, authorities said.

Joining Adams last week to discuss the state of the subways, Gov. Kathy Hochul said she was planning to put together five teams of social workers and medical professionals to help the city guide people living on streets and subways to shelter, housing and services.

Both Hochul and Adams are Democrats.

MONTGOMERY, Ohio — For Edward Zha and Katherine Wen, cooking is about more than food.

It’s about celebrating their Chinese heritage and sharing it with others.

That’s more important than ever now, they said, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the anti-Asian rhetoric that has accompanied it.

“During this crisis, like, Asian hate and all that, we really need to be proud of ourselves and show who we really are,” said Edward, a 13-year-old eighth-grader at Mason Middle School.

“We shouldn’t be ashamed of showing our culture and things that we enjoy,” added Katherine, a 15-year-old sophomore at Sycamore High School. “I think with food, you don’t really need to know a certain language or be part of a culture. Anyone can enjoy food from any culture, so I think that’s really nice.”

The teens have been honing their cooking skills – and building their pride – as part of a new youth program launched by the Greater Cincinnati Chinese Cultural Exchange Association. The program has eight youth leaders who oversee its three pillars: sharing food, performing arts and storytelling.

Lucy May | WCPO

“I cannot tell you how excited I am, because I personally see the growth of these youth,” said Felicity Tao, the association’s co-chair. “I really think all of these young kids have the potential to be leaders in the community. They can really serve the community, and it’s always a way for them to discuss their passion.”

Edward and Katherine lead the cooking group, and both will be sharing what they’ve learned during the Asian Food Fest this weekend. They will oversee a secret menu booth and serve some of their tastiest dishes.

‘I get to find my true identity’

Edward will be making Biang Biang Mian, a spicy noodle dish that he first tasted at an authentic Xi’an restaurant in Columbus that his family likes to visit. It’s named for the sound that the dough makes when hitting the board as it’s being prepared.

He likes the dish so much that he got a recipe from YouTube and learned to make it himself. Now Edward sells the noodle dish to neighbors and friends.

“I always loved cooking, and then since COVID came in, my mom had a lot of Zoom meetings, because she’s a Chinese teacher,” he said. “Most days I would cook lunch or dinner by myself. And I would use YouTube and watch a lot of simpler dishes. And gradually I went to harder dishes and my own cultural dishes.”

Katherine said she started cooking more during COVID-19 quarantine, too, and usually made lunch for herself when she attended classes virtually last school year.

Lucy May | WCPO

For the Asian Food Festival, she’ll be making Zongzi, or sticky rice dumplings. Her Zongzi will be wrapped in reed leaves and stuffed with dates, although she said other varieties can be stuffed with meat or egg yolks.

“Zongzi is eaten for a holiday. It’s the Dragon Boat Festival,” she said. “It’s nice to be able to cook food from your culture and celebrate traditional holidays and be able to show it to people who’d like to learn.”

Edward joined the GCCCEA youth program a few months ago, he said, because cooking is his passion.

“My family is, like, really into cooking. My dad’s cooking is better than my mom’s – don’t tell her that,” he said with a grin as his mom stood a few feet away. “I feel like whenever I cook with them, I get to find my true identity with them. And it’s a lot of fun.”

Katherine enjoys cooking, too, she said, but joined the youth program primarily to meet people.

Passion, enthusiasm and commitment

“I’ve made a lot of new friends through this program,” she said. “And also volunteering with a lot of festivals and things, it’s just a lot of fun being able to help the community with things like that.”

Tao said Edward and Katherine have taken charge of the secret menu booth for this weekend’s Asian Food Festival with very little involvement from GCCCEA’s adult leaders.

“They were planning, and they were deciding on the menus, and they will cook some of the food on-site as well,” she said, in addition to staffing the booth to sell the food and talk with people who stop by. “Their passion and their enthusiasm and their commitment make us think they can run this program, and we will support them however we can.”

It’s all part of the goal of the youth program to help youth embrace their cultural identity, become strong leaders and serve the community, she said. While the group is open to youth from any background, Tao said, it has been especially important for Asian American youth during the pandemic.

Lucy May | WCPO

“We are very proud of our heritage culture, and there is no reason that they don’t belong here,” Tao said. “So by discovering themselves, connecting with others, hopefully they will find it’s a little easier for them to embrace their own culture.”

The Asian Food Fest will be from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 9, and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 10, on the new Court Street Plaza on East Court Street between Vine and Walnut streets in downtown Cincinnati. More information is available online.

Lucy May writes about the people, places and issues that define our region – to celebrate what makes the Tri-State great and shine a spotlight on issues we need to address. To reach Lucy, email lucy.may@wcpo.com. Follow her on Twitter @LucyMayCincy.

CHICAGO — Forty-two percent of Americans can’t name a well-known Asian American, according to a recent study from nonprofit advocacy group LAAUNCH. According to the education research organization, the Conscious Kid, out of all racial groups, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders receive the least attention in school curriculum and textbooks.

When actor and mother Sheetal Sheth searched for a storybook to read to her first-born child that reflected her Indian American identity, she couldn’t find one.

“There's very little representation. If there was, it was either culturally insensitive, inappropriate or inaccurate,” explained Sheth.

So, she wrote her own story.

Her first book, Always Anjali, tells the story of a 7-year-old girl who finds that none of the souvenir license plates at a carnival bear her name.

“Then, a boy comes and starts making fun of her and not just makes fun of her for not having it, turns it into a racist moment and says to her, ‘They're not going to have a plate for someone like you,’” said Sheth.

The book cuts deep into the idea of identity and belonging in America.

“All of my books feature just the growing pains of children because we have the same ones, and the cultural part is just folded in,” said Sheth.

And now, more Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are sharing their stories to younger audiences through the Conscious Kid , an educational organization that aims to "promote healthy racial identity development in youth."

“We are often left out and we are the most underrepresented when it comes to narratives, especially in schools, and so, they thought let's do something about it,” said Sheth.

Teaming up with Asian-owned media company Wong Fu Productions, they’ve also produced a series of YouTube Kids-hosted AAPI for the books series. Spearheaded by actor Harry Shum Jr., the story-time read alouds feature notable Asian Americans like Randall Park, Padma Lakshmi and Ming-Na Wen.

“When we talk about exposing kids of different cultures, I think at the same time it's also making sure that people, kids are also proud of who they are,” said Shum Jr.

The books include representations of a dozen different Asian American communities and their contributions to the United States.

“You're able to listen to them read the stories. So, it's a great kind of thing to be with your families. Watch Padma Lakshmi read a book to you. I mean, that's amazing,” said Sheth.

With funding from Google, the 10-series book set is being offered for free to Title I pre-school and elementary schools across the country.

“I hope that people will donate, and we can do more of these series,” said Shum Jr.

At the same time, AAPI leaders are calling for more representation in classrooms and curriculum, creating just one way to counter anti-Asian bias and stereotypes.

“I think it's really time or past time to make sure that our students, our kids, are learning more about the diverse contributions of different communities to this country,” said U.S. Representative Grace Meng of New York’s 6^thdistrict.

Earlier this month, U.S. Congresswoman Meng reintroduced legislation to promote the teaching of Asian Pacific American history in schools across the U.S.

“We have been part of this country for a long, long time and literally helped build this country into what it is today,” said Meng. “It's important that our students and fellow Americans know and understand this rich and diverse history.”

Sheetal Sheth’s second book in the Anjali series takes on culture and gender.

“I'm really proud of it. I'm excited for it to be out there, said Sheth. “I think it'll allow for conversations again for boys and girls to be having to deal with things that they may be feeling that they don't know how to express and to just talk about them.”

It’s expected to be released in time for the start of school in September.