Congressman Andy Kim says Asian American Pacific Islander heritage month is a time to celebrate and honor Asian American culture he's been active in the effort to bring an Asian American History Museum to Washington D.C but it's also a time in his mind to reckon with the very real anti-asian hate crimes that have been on the rise tonight Kim will host his 63rd monthly town hall with a special attention on aapi issues in Marlboro our Briana vannozzi spoke with Congressman Kim ahead of the Town Hall representative Kim it's always good to catch up with you I'm curious how you plan to have the conversations around aapi month at your town hall when so much has changed in these last few years and the climate has been really tough it has been tough and and the main thing is that we have to to connect down in two ways first of all I'm glad I'm doing this town hall it's going to be my 63rd Town Hall as a member of Congress I kept the promise to hold at least one every single month so I'm proud that we're able to do that but to use this as an opportunity to lift up API Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month uh that's something that we have to embrace both the good and show that look here in New Jersey we uh we are requiring the teaching of API history in our schools we're making progress in that way but we also have to show that there's still challenges out that are out there discrimination and violence uh that uh is is really hard hurtful and is making the API Community very fearful including here in New Jersey yeah I know that's something that's become a legislative priority for you what have you been working on to that end well we've been working a lot in terms of implementing the API uh the covid-19 hate crimes bill that was trying to address this kind of discrimination that was facing the API Community right now there's a lot that I'm working on and trying to address you know while we have increased tensions with China we need to make sure that this is not creating a new era of xenophobia in this country and there was you know I still think about this this horrible incident on a public bus in Indiana where a young uh a woman of Asian descent was stabbed multiple times by another person on the bus and what that personally sailing was asked why she did it she said that's one less person trying to blow up our country and this is just you know we got to make sure that we're recognizing uh the humanity in each other and recognizing that that kind of violence has no place in our country yeah I mean I've been having conversations with folks who say that they are a little conflicted about uh this month's designation because these are topics and visibility that needs to be around you know all the time you've been working to get a national museum put together which I believe the president signed it's in motion can you update us on that and what your plans are the hope is that eventually we'll have you know a national Asian Pacific American Museum as I'd love to see as part of the Smithsonian I'd love to see it on the National Mall place that tells that story tells the stories of hundreds of years of people of Asian descent here in this country of the rise of Asian Americans and the contributions that they make to every facet I think the way that we need to show is that that our story is not just an Asian American story it is fundamentally an American story and it's an American story that so often doesn't get the visibility that it needs these two and so that's part of it but you know the process is long the the legislation that was passing the law is starting that process so we still have many hurdles to go but um that's something that I very much look forward to bringing my two boys to at some point representative Andy Kim good to catch up with you thanks so much thank you [Music] [Music]