8 Lives Cut Short - A Message from LEAP President and CEO, Linda Akutagawa
8 lives cut short. Mourning the unnecessary loss of life in Atlanta.
Oak Creek, WI, Charleston, SC, Orlando, FL, Pittsburgh, PA and now Atlanta, GA.
Last night eight people were senselessly murdered over the space of a few hours at three different Asian businesses in the greater Atlanta region in another mass shooting perpetrated by a lone gunman. Six of the eight victims were Asian women.
Our hearts and deepest condolences go out to the families of the victims as we join them and Atlanta’s Asian American community in collective grief, sadness and anger for their loss.
Sadly, these deaths follow a year-long series of escalating, xenophobic, hate-filled actions directed at Asian American communities across the U.S. and now Atlanta is added to a shameful list of cities known for hate-driven mass shootings.
Anti-Asian hate crimes tracker, Stop AAPI Hate shared that nearly 3,800 incidents of harassment, discrimination and racism were reported over this past year through their reporting center. More disturbing, as we commemorate Women’s History month, 68% of the hate incidents were directed at Asian women. A report by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism released last week shows that hate crimes against Asian Americans grew nationally by an alarming 149% in 2020 from 2019 while overall hate crimes declined by 7%.
We know our community is hurting. We’re hurting too. Check in with each other and with your Asian American friends, family, team members and colleagues. Share mental health resources like the Crisis Text Lineand Heartmob. Donate to organizations like Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Atlanta and Center for Pacific Asian Community Services so they can help with healing in the Atlanta Asian American community.
We will be heard! The Congressional House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties will be holding a hearing tomorrow morning, Thursday, March 18 at 10am EDT on “Discrimination and Violence Against Asian Americans”. This is an opportunity to hold Congress accountable to us. Words matter, but actions speak louder. Share your story about anti-Asian hate with Chairman Steven Cohen and Ranking Member Mike Johnson.
Going forward the drive for justice includes Asian Americans and unity across all our communities. LEAP stands together with our Asian American community partners and allies from the Black, Latinx, Native American, Pacific Islander, and White communities to advocate for action, solutions and healing. No longer will our screaming go unheard. No longer will our outrage be minimized. We will NOT be invisible. #StopAsianHate
Linda Akutagawa
LEAP President & CEO