Two years ago, a gunman killed eight people at three spas in Cherokee and Fulton counties in the Atlanta area. Those who lost their lives were family members, community members, business owners and providers. Some were immigrants who came to the United States hoping to live the American dream and build new lives for themselves and their families. Six were women of Asian descent.
When we heard the news of the shooting, it felt as if our entire community was targeted. The shock, and pain, and anger were palpable far beyond Atlanta. The onset of COVID-19 and the racist rhetoric from public officials seemed to unleash a new wave of hate directed at Asians and Asian Americans.
Anti-Asian hate crimes were rapidly increasing, with each attack causing Asian Americans to feel less safe in their own neighborhoods and cities. Daily walks, morning commutes and everyday tasks had to be meticulously planned. Everyone felt like a target and the community was raw – still mourning grandfather Vicha Ratanapakdee, who that January had been senselessly and violently killed across the country in San Francisco.
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Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders moved from outrage to action
The cumulative and collective pain leading up to the spa shootings is what made it a true breaking point – a galvanizing moment that mobilized us. We moved from outrage to action. The pits in our stomachs hardened into resolve.
The movement to stop hate against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders found new urgency, attention and allies. In the days and weeks after the shootings, AAPI communities, organizations and leaders came together to remember the victims as people rather than statistics.
Hard workers, dedicated mothers, striving immigrants:These are the 8 people killed in the Atlanta area spa shootings
The Asian American Journalists Association posted a guide on how to pronounce the victims’ names and held…
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