President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are offering solace to Asian Americans and a reeling nation as they visit Atlanta just days after a white gunman killed eight people, most of them Asian American women.
The visit, during a nationwide spike of anti-Asian violence, has added resonance with the presence of Harris, the first person of South Asian descent to hold national office. And it comes as Biden has expressed support for the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, a bill that would strengthen the government’s response to hate crimes and provide resources to Asian American communities. Biden was meeting Friday with Asian American state legislators and other community leaders before he and Harris were to deliver remarks.