Atlanta

Above all, the legacies of white supremacy and misogyny—which are still alive and well today—paved the way to yesterday's violence.

Dear MoveOn member,

Yesterday, a 21-year-old white man opened fire on three massage parlors across the Atlanta metro area. He murdered eight people, including six Asian women.¹

This comes as just the latest major incident of violence suffered by Asian American communities, especially women. According to a recent report, hate crimes targeting Asian Americans have surged over 150% in major cities in the last year.² And unsurprisingly, it's women and nonbinary people who are disproportionately harmed by this bigotry. In fact, Asian women have reported twice as many hate incidents over the past year.³

These events are shocking and upsetting to all, and we hope you will join us in taking the time to reflect on how you will support the Asian American community. And if you identify as AAPI, we hope that you are making the time and space to care for yourself and get the support you need during this difficult time.

A series of deliberate political decisions enabled yesterday's tragedy, and we can absolutely point to specific policies, such as lax gun laws, which led to these murders.

But above all, the legacies of white supremacy and misogyny—which are still alive and well today—paved the way to yesterday's events. Racist, xenophobic, and misogynistic politicians and political movements have thrived over the last five years—and anti-Asian policies and attitudes in the U.S. date back centuries. Donald Trump has repeatedly used the coronavirus as a Sinophobic slur in an effort to distract from his own failures and mishandling of the pandemic. Meanwhile, politicians across the country continue to peddle anti-Asian lies and misinformation for their own personal gain and use their positions to enshrine attacks against women, especially women of color, into law.

AAPI-led organizations, leaders, and community members repeatedly warned government officials and advocates about increased incidents of anti-Asian discrimination over the past year (including in Atlanta), but their warnings were largely ignored, leaving Atlanta's AAPI community vulnerable to such an attack.⁴

Today, we'll begin the process of mourning the losses to our community. We'll start to grieve the tragedies of yesterday's horrific killings, and we'll be there to support our family, friends, and loved ones who are affected by it.

And in the days and weeks to come, we'll channel this energy into confronting white supremacy head-on, building power and educating, engaging, and mobilizing our communities into action—so that we heed our AAPI community members' warnings and ensure that we don't leave anyone else vulnerable to white supremacist violence.

To start, here are some important organizations fighting for Asian American rights. Be sure to follow and engage with them as they begin planning next steps and actions following yesterday's horrific attack. 

• Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta (Website, Twitter, Facebook)
• Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AJC (Washington, DC) (Website, Twitter, Facebook)
• Stop AAPI Hate (Website, Twitter, Facebook)
• National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (Website, Twitter, Facebook)
• 18 Million Rising (Website, Twitter, Facebook)
• APIA Vote (Website, Twitter, Facebook)
• APIA Health Forum (Website, Twitter, Facebook)
• National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (Website, Twitter, Facebook)

And be sure to stay tuned for updates in the near future. 

Thanks for all you do.

–Arvin, Mana, Bodhi, Lisa, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "8 People Killed in Atlanta-Area Massage Parlor Shootings," The New York Times, March 16, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/150412?t=31&akid=292690%2E10220574%2Ek651dE

2. "Asian American community battles surge in hate crimes stirred from COVID-19," PBS Newshour, March 16, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/150407?t=33&akid=292690%2E10220574%2Ek651dE

3. "Stop AAPI Hate National Report," Stop AAPI Hate, accessed March 17, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/150408?t=35&akid=292690%2E10220574%2Ek651dE

4. "Asian Americans in Atlanta stunned by shootings as advocates demand action: 'Everyone has heard enough words,'" The Washington Post, March 17, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/150413?t=37&akid=292690%2E10220574%2Ek651dE

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