On April 6, Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan launched a Discrimination Helpline at 1-833-454-0148.
This helpline reinforces the state’s efforts to protect the civil rights of Minnesotans. It allows those who experience or witness bias and discrimination to report incidents to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.
The creation of the Discrimination Helpline comes at a time when there’s continued reports from Asian American community members who are experiencing heightened fear and backlash due to COVID-19. One of the disconcerting aspects of the COVID-19 crisis is the continued rise of xenophobia and racism.
Every Minnesotan can call the Discrimination Helpline at 1-833-454-0148 or complete and submit this online form. The helpline is staffed Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Talking Points for Discrimination Hotline developed by the Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL)
• Today (April 6, 2020), we are pleased to see that Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Flanagan launched a Discrimination Helpline for community members to report discrimination.
• We are a collective of 28 Asian Minnesotan organizations who worked to ensure that our community members know that we stand with them, and not only condemn bias, discrimination, violence and bigotry they are facing right now, but we want to make sure we have information to support communities to create safety and protection for everyone.
• The toll-free helpline, which is at 1-833-454-0148, will allow those who experience or witness bias and discrimination to report incidents to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. The helpline is staffed Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and can be accessed online at: https://mn.gov/mdhr/intake/consultationinquiryform/.
• We encourage our community members who are victims or witnesses of discrimination, racism, and bigotry to report all incidents to the hotline.
• Individuals who’ve faced discrimination, hate, or bigotry should know they are not alone, and they should not worry about whether what happened to them is prosecutable in law.
• Reporting what happened is critical because it helps us hold accountability, creating better solutions, and increase our overall understanding about the magnitude of the situation.
• COVID-19 does not discriminate against race, religion, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, ability, nor citizenship status.
• This moment calls for every person to rise to the occasion in order to flatten the curve and prevent catastrophic outcomes, so we thank those who stand with us to say there is no room for racism and xenophobia.
• We know from American history that in times of crisis, racism, antisemitism and xenophobic violence have been committed against Indigenous, Black, Latinx, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish, immigrants, refugees and undocumented people. In this crisis we aim to help our community be empowered to share what is happening to us without it being viewed as exclusive of. We stand in solidarity with those who have suffered from xenophobia, antisemitism, and racism.
• We will continue to work closely with community members, institutions, and elected leaders to make sure that stories are not just collected, but more is done to prevent and stop discrimination and racism.