Andrews cited the need for national legislation in the wake of recent biased crimes that appear to be occurring more frequently.  Such recent tragedies include the dragging death of an African-American man in Lubbock, Texas, the beating death of a gay man in Wyoming, the senseless shootings at a Jewish Daycare Center in Los Angeles and the most recent series of racially motivated attacks in Pittsburgh, in which a white man allegedly went on a shooting rampage targeting minorities that ended in the deaths of a Jewish woman, an Indian man and two Asian men.  

The nature and frequency of these types of crimes all reinforce the need for national legislation armed with strict federal penalties to send a message to the perpetrators of such crimes that these types of intimidation tactics will be met with dire consequences.  Further, such legislation will demonstrate to all men, women and children of any race, religion or sexual persuasion that this is a country built on diversity and freedom of expression and that these acts of hate will not be tolerated. 

"The issue of promoting and embracing cultural and racial diversity is right as a moral argument alone.  However, the cultural diversity of our country is an integral factor, in a business sense, in our ability to compete more effectively in foreign markets," said Andrews.  "Because of the diverse make-up of The United States workforce, U.S. companies have an advantage in their ability to employ workers who are familiar with the cultures and customs of the foreign countries in which they are working. Accordingly, U.S. workers are able to better communicate and relate mutually with companies in foreign markets than the workers of predominantly homogenous nations."

Andrews spent his day promoting racial and cultural diversity as both a moral imperative and criteria for continued economic success.   He first met with students of Washington Township high school who participate in Students United for Respect and Equality (S.U.R.E.), a program that promotes both cultural diversity and racial harmony at the high school as well as in and around the community.  Andrews pointed out the importance of programs like this as they allow students to break through racial stereotypes so that they not only learn to tolerate others differences but at the same time students are afforded the opportunity to learn about and immerse themselves in a culture and way of living that was previously foreign to them. This new social awareness will not only strengthen their morality but will enable these young men and women to become valuable assets in the new economy through their ability to understand and relate to cultures in new global markets. 

Andrews then traveled to Camden where he met with leaders of the Vietnamese Cultural Center to discuss legislation he has authored that would provide funding to organizations to help recent immigrants get acclimated to life the U.S.  He concluded his day by co-sponsoring a workshop along with the United States Department of Commerce, Export Assistance Center, for South Jersey businesses to help them navigate through the bureaucracy of importing and exporting goods and services to and from foreign countries. 

In a recent press conference, President Clinton cited the need for such legislation as more than 7,700 hate incidents took place in the United States during 1998, and experts believe many more were never reported.  "This is about people who go to work, obey the law, are good citizens and good neighbors, who ought to be able to live their lives in dignity and without fear of abuse or attack but cannot" said President Clinton.  "These are not like other crimes, because these crimes target people simply because of who they are."

Current law prohibits acts of violence based on a person's race, color, religion, or national origin, but only if the acts of violence are intended to interfere with certain federally protected activities, such as voting or serving on a jury.  The new legislation would remove this restriction on prosecutors and would make such acts of violence illegal even if they did not interfere with federally protected activities.  In addition, the legislation would punish hate crimes based on a victim's sexual orientation, gender, or disability.  Current federal law does not cover such cases.

Last month, the President renewed his commitment to mobilize support for the stagnant Hate Crimes Prevention Act and pressed for Congress to pass this legislation.  The bill is currently has not been scheduled for a vote.  Congressman Andrews is an original cosponsor of this legislation and has pledged to continue to work with the President toward its final passage.