Raising Awareness of Hate Crimes and Hate Incidents During the COVID-19 Pandemic

On May 20, 2022, the one-year anniversary of the enactment of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, the Department of Justice issued a new guidance document with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), aimed at raising awareness of hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic. This guidance provides an overview of the rise of hate crimes and hate incidents during the pandemic, including a surge of hate crimes and hate incidents against Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities, and several steps that law enforcement, government officials, and others can take to raise awareness of increased hate crimes and incidents, and to use increased awareness as a tool for the prevention of and response to hate crimes.