Daniel Dae Kim delivers a powerful message to congress on anti-Asian violence

Lawmakers, activists and politicians gathered this week to discuss the issue of violence against Asian Americans—an issue that has swelled in the past year during the pandemic. Among those lobbying for real and actual change was Korean American actor Daniel Dae Kim, who delivered a powerful message.

The 52-year-old Lost star specifically spoke out about a bill that was brought up last year condemning the anti-Asian sentiment sparked under then-President Donald Trump, whose hateful references to the coronavirus have been well-documented. At the time Congress voted against the bill, an event that Kim witnessed since he testified then as well.

“I was disheartened to find that for a bill that required no money or resources, just a simple condemnation of acts of hate against people of Asian descent, 164 members of Congress, all Republican, voted against it," he said, as per Deadline, at the House Judiciary subcommittee that was exploring the passage of the No Hate Bill and the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. “And now here I am again, because as every witness in this hearing has pointed out, the situation has gotten worse, much worse.”

The publication reports that the actor then listed the names of Asian-Americans who have been targeted, beaten and killed before turning to the subject of the harrowing spa shootings in Atlanta earlier this week that left eight people dead. At the time of the attacks, Kim was one of several celebrities who took to social media to condemn the acts of violence, spreading the #StopAsianViolence hashtag far and wide. Kim also voiced his concern over the treatment of arrested suspect Robert Aaron Long by the police after Captain Jay Baker of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office told reporters that the shootings were not racially motivated and that Long had had “a really bad day.”

“You know when I have a bad day, I think about going home and having a beer and watching a movie with my family. I don’t think about going out and murdering eight people,” Kim said. “And it says a lot about this person that when he says he's trying to eliminate temptation from his life, instead of seeking help for himself, his way of eliminating temptation is to kill people, to take a gun and shoot people.”

As per E! Online, Kim then posed the question, "What does it mean when he sees the manifestation of sexual temptation as an Asian female? These are three places all that had an association with Asian people. If this was a synagogue or a Black church, and somebody shot up those places, would we really be asking whether this was a hate crime or not?”

Kim also brought up reports that Baker had allegedly posted a photo of a shirt with an anti-Asian message last year. “This is a person who has a direct connection to the shooter of eight people, and he is not impartial, so it calls into question the veracity of his position… Words matter, from our president, from our leaders, from anyone with a platform.” (According to The Washington Post, Baker is no longer a spokesperson in the case.)

Kim, who is also known for his roles on Hawaii Five-O and The Good Doctor (which he also executive produces and helped develop for North American audiences), is currently in Toronto filming alongside Tony Goldwyn on the second season of National Geographic’s scripted anthology series, The Hot Zone: Anthrax. Following his statements on the Atlanta shootings he then called on Congress to do what is right.

“There are several moments in the country’s history that chart its course indelibly for the future. For Asian Americans, that moment is now,” he said. “What happens right now and over the course of the coming months will send a message. A message for generations to come as to whether we matter, whether the country we call home chooses to erase us, or include us, dismiss us, or respect us, invisible-ize us, or see us,” he continued.

“Because you may consider us as statistically insignificant now, but one more fact that has no alternative is that we are the fastest growing racial demographic in the country. We are 23 million strong. We are united, and we are waking up.”

Kim was one of the earlier celebrities to contract COVID-19 in 2020. He has been a strong advocate for change these past several months and he uses his social media pages to spread awareness about the growing issue of hate directed at Asian Americans. Last fall he joined actor Daniel Wu in offering a $25,000 reward for information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of a man who attacked senior Asians in Oakland, Calif. The actor had also been scheduled to participate in this latest Congressional hearing before the Atlanta shootings took place.   

“[Last March], those of us in the Asian community knew those attacks were already happening,” Kim recently reflected to USA Today. “Naïvely, I thought everyone knew and I was commenting on the fact that this is now a sad reality and byproduct of this pandemic and to be mindful and kind to one another. Little did I know at the time that it would receive little to no attention and a year later we'd be in the same place, (after) 3,000 attacks and incidents.”

BEFORE YOU GO: Daniel Dae Kim talks taking action and bringing awareness to Anti-Asian hate crimes

[video_embed id='2156973']BEFORE YOU GO: Daniel Dae Kim talks taking action and bringing awareness to Anti-Asian hate crimes [/video_embed]