Daniel Dae Kim speaks at a Congressional hearing in a powerful message on anti-Asian violence

E! Online

"We as Asian Americans have come to this country because we believe in the American dream. Many of us have succeeded," the former Hawaii Five-0 star said in the hearing held two days after three Asian massage parlors were shot up, leading to eight people dead. "And some of us are even in the frontline health care workers upon all whom we've come to depend during this terrible pandemic. But many of us are struggling, too. In fact, the wealth disparity between the richest Asian Americans and the poorest is the largest of any ethnic group in America. In New York, Asian Americans have a higher poverty rate than any other minority group. Fully one in four are living below the poverty line. And poverty rates among Asian American seniors are much higher than the national average. That's something to consider as we watch the most vulnerable get taunted, pushed, slashed, and despite this wide disparity of experience, we continue to be tagged the model minority. We simply cannot continue with the myth that the most successful represent the totality of us."