Washington, DC — On Tuesday night, an Atlanta man attacked three massage parlors, killing 8 people including 6 Asian women. While the motivation for the attack is still being discerned, it comes in the wake of a steep increase in anti-Asian hate crimes. We know that targeted violence doesn’t fester in a vacuum, it is fed by dehumanizing rhetoric and white supremacy. Whatever ultimately motivated this man, we must look at which narratives and circumstances persist that make the lives of workers, immigrants, and non-white Americans such frequent targets for discriminatory and deadly violence.
As members of a field that strives to promote and expand welcome, last night’s violence points to the core of our work: creating and sustaining safe and inclusive community. When we offer welcome, we cannot ignore the work still to be done within ourselves to proactively challenge harm.
Our thoughts are with the families of those whose lives were lost, and with our colleagues who work on the frontlines in promoting justice for our Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) neighbors. Visit stopAAPIhate.org for resources and reports.