On March 16, 2021, eight people were killed at three different spas in Georgia. WMPC mourns with our community as we navigate through our anger, disbelief, and grief at the loss of Delaina Ashley Yaun, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Paul Andre Michels, Hyun Jung Grant, Soon C. Park, Suncha Kim, and Yong A. Yue. We are devastated by these fatal shooting, especially amid increasing incidences of violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the U.S.
Officials are still investigating the motivation behind the shooting; It is hard to extricate race from this horrific incident of the eight individuals who tragically lost their lives, six were of Asian descent.
According to a recent report by Stop APPI Hate, the organization received 3,795 reports of hate incidents against Asian Americans from March 19, 2020 – February 28, 2021. This was an increase of more than 60% from the previous year’s 2,600 anti-Asian hate incidents.
Together as a community, we can heal and grow together. We invite you to partner with us to combat hate and challenge anti-racist dialogue and behavior. For us, this looks like disrupting racism in all forms, especially as it shows up in policies and practices that perpetuate racial inequities in foster care. It looks like doing our work to create and sustain a culture of inclusivity within our organization. We urge each of you to take a moment and find ways to comfort each other and provide the space needed to process and heal. Identify ways you can create opportunities in your everyday lives that uplift, value, and honor experiences of culturally diverse populations. If you would like to learn more information on how you can help advance civil and human rights for Asian Americans, please visit: Asian Americans Advancing Justice and Asian American Resource Center.