South Queens, NY: On Tuesday, February 25 at 11:15 am at the Million Dollar Staircase in the State Capitol, Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar will host a press conference on her new legislation to stop hate in its tracks. Her bill A2455 creates the “No Hate NY” fund to finance programs promoting love and tolerance across New York. A brand new “No Hate NY” license plate will generate revenue for this vital fund. Her bill has already earned bipartisan support.
The bill continues Assemblywoman Rajkumar’s work as a leading voice against hate crimes. She brought together the community to denounce a string of hate crimes at a Hindu temple in her district, earning the support of the White House. Her work against anti-Semitic hate crimes garnered coverage in the Jerusalem Post, and her campaign to end hate crimes against the Sikh community graced the pages of news outlets across the globe.
The Assemblywoman introduced the bill to fight the rising tide in hate crimes nationwide. Anti-Semitic hate crimes have skyrocketed since the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre; hate crimes against the AAPI community reached record highs following the 2024 election, on the heels of the massive increase at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Assemblywoman Rajkumar said, “In the words of Nelson Mandela, ‘No one is born hating another person.’ Hate is learned and the time is now to unlearn it. My No Hate NY fund is a beacon of love and respect in the fog of hate permeating society today. We will create programs that foster peace and understanding among all the diverse communities across New York, showing that we will always be a welcome home to everyone—no matter where your family is from, how you worship, the language you speak, whom you love, or anything else that makes us a Gorgeous Mosaic.”
Joining the Assemblywoman will be the Senate sponsor, Senator Bill Weber; Concord Mediation Group founder Isaac Gruenebaum, and a contingent of students from Columbia University.
