Collective Statement: On the One Year Anniversary of Atlanta Spa Shootings, We Call for Reflection and Action

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Chinese (中文)
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Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)

On March 16, 2021, eight people, including six Asian women massage workers, were killed at three spas in the Metro Atlanta area. As we mark the one year anniversary of this tragedy, we honor the victims, the survivors, and their families. We place their healing, care, and peace at the heart of our remembrance. We are grateful to the local and national communities of care that blossomed over the past year and that have centered the families of victims and survivors.

We have centered those most directly impacted by connecting them to critical services, and raising funds for victims and their families. For our broader community, we continue to tend to the process of healing by finding inspiration in the traditions of our elders. We are also continuing to advocate for policies and solutions that address the root causes of violence and hate so that we may all live in safe communities. 

We have held our community members close as we navigate loss, grief, and trauma not only in the wake of the Atlanta spa shootings but in experiencing continued violence, misogyny, and racism against Asian Americans in Georgia and beyond. Most recently the brutal murders of Michelle Alyssa Go and Christine Yuna Lee within weeks of each other in New York City have renewed the fears and anxieties of Asian and Asian American women and femmes who are subjected to both gender and race-based discrimination and violence. In Albuquerque, NM, two Asian massage workers were killed during robberies at Asian spas, heightening the fears felt by Asian American and immigrant small business owners. 

These highly visible tragedies also call our attention to the everyday experiences that the most vulnerable members of our communities face in the cross-hairs of white supremacy, misogyny, and imperialism: the racial and sexual exploitations wrought by the presence of U.S. militarism in Asia and the Pacific; the resulting geopolitical upheavals that force migration; the daily terrors of a system that criminalizes immigrants, massage workers, and sex workers; housing and financial insecurity; and the ongoing abuses and dangerous conditions that migrant, low-wage, service workers face daily. 

To heal we must grapple with these truths and address white supremacy and misogyny as the root causes of violence and hate. To do so requires us to hold uncomfortable dualities. It means acknowledging the pain and fear that motivates some victims and community members to call for carceral solutions such as increased police presence, hate crimes legislation, and other forms of punishment; while at the same time interrogating how these responses criminalize and cause harm in the name of public safety. 

Grappling with the truth also means confronting anti-Blackness in our Asian American communities. We cannot allow the tragedy of the shootings in Atlanta to justify policies that expand law enforcement and its disproportionate impacts on Black communities. Rather, alongside our Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Arab, and Pacific Islander allies, we are inspired to reimagine what justice, healing, love, and hope can look like for our communities. 

Over the past year, we witnessed messages and acts of community care, empowerment, and solidarity reverberating in streets, parks, and community centers as more people have come together, bound by grief, and committed to radical change. 

Together, we commit to push beyond the oppressive boundaries of white supremacy and anti-Blackness and build sustaining communities of care. We can address the needs of victims of racialized and gender-based violence while also holding our elected leaders accountable for creating policies that center our communities. This includes investing in community-based organizations that are often on the frontlines of caring for victims, survivors, and vulnerable communities in the languages they use and with sensitivity to their cultures, livelihoods, and immigration statuses. Our elected leaders must provide long-standing investments and resources for the families of victims and survivors well after the immediate crisis has abated, access to victims’ compensation funds, fully fund violence prevention and restorative justice programs, and public infrastructure and institutions focused on public health and education.

Together, we can struggle in more powerful ways for community safety and healing, for racial and economic justice, for stable housing, for access to quality health care, including mental health and education and a liveable wage, for the right to vote, for the right to organize, and for art and beauty in our neighborhoods. On this anniversary, we remember the lives taken and the families who still struggle without their loved ones, and we recommit to expanding and deepening our community of care for all communities, beginning in Atlanta and spreading throughout the country and the world. 

In Solidarity,

Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta

Asian American Advocacy Fund

Korean American Coalition - Metro Atlanta

New Georgia Project

Raksha, Inc

Georgia Organizations

Athena's Warehouse Inc.

Atlanta Antifascists

Atlanta Jews of Color Council

Avondale Alliance for Racial Justice

Better to Speak

Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI)

Carter Media Group

Center for Civic Innovation

Cherokee Family Violence Center

CivicGeorgia

Common Cause GA

Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta

Compassionate Atlanta

Council on American Islamic Relations - Georgia

Emory Law Chapter - National Lawyers Guild

Environment Georgia

Fair Fight Action

Faith in Public Life

Families Against Racism

GALEO & GALEO Impact Fund

Georgia Advancing Communities Together, Inc.

Georgia AFL-CIO

Georgia Alliance for Social Justice

Georgia Budget and Policy Institute

Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Georgia Interfaith Power and Light

Georgia Muslim Voter Project

Georgia Working Families Party

Global Village Project

Grantmakers for Southern Progress

International Rescue Committee Atlanta

L'Arche Atlanta

Men Stopping Violence

Migrant Equity Southeast

Nabilah for Georgia

Necessary Trouble Georgia

New American Pathways

Policing Alternatives & Diversion Initiative

POSITIVE IMPACT HEALTH CENTERS

Purpose Possible

Re'Generation Movement

REMERGE

Rep GA Institute Inc.

Southern Poverty Law Center

SURJ Atlanta

Taiwanese American Professionals - Atlanta

The Georgia Human Rights Clinic

The Lola

They See Blue GA

Twice Consulting Services LLC

Tzedek Georgia

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta

Virginia-Highland Church (UCC)

Women Watch Afrika

YWCA of Greater Atlanta

National/ Out of the State Organizations

18 Million Rising

AAPI Equity Alliance

AAPI Women Lead

AAPIs for Civic Empowerment Education Fund

AAPIs for Justice San Antonio TX

Act To Change

ADL Southern Divisoin

AHRI for Justice

Alianza Sacramento

Alliance of Filipinos for Immigrant Rights and Empowerment

APAICS

APALA-Sacramento

APANO Communities United Fund

Apex Express

API Middle Tennessee

APIA Vote-MI

APIENC

Apna Ghar, Inc.

Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF)

Asian American & Pacific Islanders for Justice (San Antonio TX)

Asian American Alliance

Asian American Arts Alliance

Asian American Documentary Network

Asian American Film Lab

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)

Asian American Liberation Network

Asian American Organizing Project (AAOP)

Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA)

Asian American Resource Workshop

Asian American Studies City College of San Francisco

Asian American Women Artists Association

Asian American Women's Political Initiative (AAWPI)

Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus

Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC

Asian Americans United

Asian and Asian American Classical Caucus

Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote)

Asian Arts Initiative

Asian Counseling and Referral Service

Asian Law Alliance

Asian Organizations for Muslim Arab Desi Inclusivity (AOMADI)

Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), AFL-CIO, Seattle Chapter

Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO

Asian Pacific Development Center

Asian Pacific Environmental Network

Asian Pacific Institute on Gender Based Violence (API-GBV)

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA)

Asian Prisoner Support Committee

Asian Solidarity Collective

Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence (ATASK)

Asian Women Giving Circle

ASIAN, Inc. 美亞輔鄰社

Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project

Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO)

BPSOS Center for Community Advancement

CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities

California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative

California Primary Care Association

Campaign for a New Myanmar

CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment)

Center for the Pacific Asian Family

Centro Legal de la Raza

Chinese American Museum of Chicago

Chinese American Service League

Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco

Chinese Progressive Association

Chinese Progressive Association

Chinese Progressive Association, Boston MA

CHUANG Stage

Coalition of Asian American Leaders

Colorado Asian Culture and Education Network

Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists

District Attorney Sherry Boston, Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit

DRUM - Desis Rising Up & Moving

Earth Action, Inc.

East West Players

Eastwind Books of Berkeley

EMBARC

Everyday Impact Consulting

Faith and Community Empowerment

Faith in Florida

Faith in the valley-merced county

Fayetteville Police Accountability Community Taskforce

First Congregational Church of Santa Barbara

Franciscan Action Network

GAPIMNY—Empowering Queer & Trans Asian Pacific Islanders

GGE Media

Gold House

Grassroots Asians Rising

Greater Boston Legal Services Asian Outreach Unit

HA:N United Methodist Church

Hamkae Center

HANA Center

Hate Is A Virus

International Campaign for the Rohingya

J CHEN PROJECT, Inc

Japanese American Citizens League

Japanese American Citizens League, Seattle Chapter

Japanese American Citizens League, Twin Cities Chapter

Japanese American National Museum

Kamayan Coalition

KAN-WIN

Karen Organization of San Diego

Khmer Girls in Action

Korean American Coalition - Los Angeles

Korean American Community Foundation

Korean American Family Services (KFAM)

Korean American Federation of Los Angeles

Korean Community Center of the East Bay

Koreatown Youth & Community Center (KYCC)

LA City Councilmember Paul Koretz

Leadership and Education for All Foundation (LEAF)

LEAP (Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics)

Leviathan Lab

Little Tokyo Service Center

Make Us Visible Florida

Make Us Visible NJ

MALO Motivating Action Leadership Opportunity

Mekong NYC

Model Majority

Mujeres Latinas En Accion

National CAPACD- National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development

National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA)

National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC)

National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA)

New American Voices

New Breath Foundation

New Mexico Asian Family Center

New York Day of Remembrance Committee

North Carolina Asian Americans Together

OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates

OCA Asian Pacific Advocates of Greater Seattle

OCA Greater Chicago

OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates Greater Cleveland Chapter

Office of Councilmember John S. Lee, 12th Council District of the City of Los Angeles

Office of Councilmember Mai Vang, District 8, City of Sacramento

Ohio Chinese American Association

Phil Jones Bass ( American Acoustic Development LLC)

PIVOT

Poder Latinx

Poligon Education Fund

Project by Project

Prophetic Resistance Boston

PrYSM

Q-Wave

RUN AAPI

San Diego Japanese American Citizens League (SDJACL)

Sigma Psi Zeta Sorority, Inc.

Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF)

Sikh Coalition

South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)

South Bay APALA

Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)

Southeast Asian Development Center

StageSource/Asian American Playwright Collective

Stand With Kashmir

Stories Within

Taiwanese American Citizens League

Thai Community Development Center

The Almond Group

The Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Lactation Collaborative of California

The Center for Asian Pacific American Women

The Center for Victims of Torture Georgia

The SEAD Project

The Union of Pan Asian Communities (UPAC)

Theater Mu

Theatre Communications Group

Transforming Generations

Tsuru for Solidarity

Ventura County Activists for Bernie Sanders 2020 #OurRevolution

VietAID

Vietnamese American Roundtable

Vietnamese Association of Illinois

Vietnamese Social Services of MN(VSS)

Visual Communications Media

Woori Center

Woori Juntos

 OCA - Sacramento - Asian Pacific American Advocates

1Hood Media

1Hood Power

9to5

Advancement Project. National

AI for the People

All organizations

All Saints Episcopal CHurch

ARISE

Art for Social Change at Lewis & Clark

Asian American Federation

Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles

Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago

Asian Media Access

Asian Services in Action, Inc. (ASIA)

Asian Youth Center (AYC)

Austin Youth River Watch

AYPAL: Building API Community Power

Ballot Initiative Strategy Center

Bocoup

Bold Action Works

Bridge Beyond

Building Movement Project

CAIR-Minnesota

Campaign for a New Myanmar

Can’t Stop! Won’t Stop! Consulting & Education Fund

CAPA21 (Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans)

Cayuga Centers

Center for Biological Diversity

Center for Faith, Justice, and Reconciliation

Center for Latinx and Latin American Studies, University of Southern California

Charity Cultural Services Center

Chinese for Affirmative Action

Climate Justice Alliance

Coalition for a Diverse Harvard

Coalition to Stop Gun Violence

Collaborative on Race

Community Care Alliance

Community Justice Action Fund

Community-University Health Care Center

Compassion in Oakland

Defend Yourself

Diversity Discussions

Domestic Violence Action Center

East Bay Asian Youth Center

Embrace Services, Inc.

Endangered Species Coalition

Episcopal Church of the Saviour

Equal Justice Society

Equality Labs

Estolano Advisors

Everytown for Gun Safety

Eviction Defense Collaborative

Extinction Rebellion San Francisco Bay Area

Faith in New Jersey

Faith in New York

Faith Organizing Alliance

Film Fatales

Food Empowerment Project

Food Not Bombs Salt Lake City

For Freedoms

Fort Collins community action network

Freedom Network USA

Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries (FIRM)

Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees

HapaLis Prods

Healing by Choice!

Hep B United

Hepatitis B Foundation

Hmong Americans for Justice

Hmong Innovating Politics

Huwaida for Congress (MI 10)

Immigrant Justice Network

Immigration Hub

Indigenous Environmental Network

Indivisible

Interfaith Worker Justice - New Mexico

International Campaign for the Rohingya

International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers, AFL-CIO & CLC

International Union, UAW

Japanese American Service Committee

Jewish Liberation Fund

Joint Action Committee

Journal of International Women’s Studies

Journal of International Women’s Studies

Justice Is Global

KAYA: Filipino Americans for Progress

Keep Beyond

Korean Community Services - Orange County

Kovner Center for Behavioral Health and Psychological Testing

Latino Community Foundation

Let's Get Free: The Women and Trans Prisoner Defense Committee

Libra Foundation

Live Oak County Democrats

MALO Motivating Action Leadership Opportunity

March For Our Lives

MN8

Montagnard American Organization (MAO)

Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative

Muslim Justice League

Muslim Power Building Project

National Council of Jewish Women

National Education Association

National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC)

National Organization for Women

National Partnership for New Americans

National Tongan American Society

Native Organizers Alliance

New American Leaders

New England Foundation for the Arts

Newtown Action Alliance

Northridge Indivisible

Not Your Average Mai

OCA Greater Tucson

Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence

One East Palo Alto

OPAWL - Building AAPI Feminist Leadership

Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA)

Orange County Congregation Community Organization

Parent Education for Exceptional Children 

Peace Action

People of Color Sustainable Housing Network

PracticePro

Project Safeguard

Protect Oakland Chinatown

ProtestAccess

Public Wise

R.A.C.E.

Racial Equity Institute

Rainforest Action Network

re:power

Reflex Design Colleective

Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment

Revolutionary Love Project

Rice Rockettes

Rodfei Tzedek, the social justice team of Congregation Rodef Shalom

Safe Medford

SAHARA

SAJE

Sakhi for South Asian Women

Sakura Foundation

San Jose Nikkei Resisters

SEAC Village

Seattle Works

Serita Yoga

She the People

Social Changs

Social Transformation Project

Solidaire Network

South Asian American Policy and Research Institute (SAAPRI)

Southeast Immigrant Rights Network

SURJ Marin

Taiwanese American Professionals - DC

Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence

The Art of You

The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus

The Healing Trust

The New York Women's Foundation

The Ocean Project

The Ruby

TJ Alumni Action Group

Tsuru for Solidarity Minnesota

UCLA Labor Center

Unified Asian Communities

Union for Reform Judaism

UNITE HERE Local 8

United Women in Faith

Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights (UAF)

Vermont Interfaith Action

Vietnam Agent Orange Relief & Responsibility Campaign

VietRISE

VOICE

Voice of Witness

We All Rise

Welcoming America

Western Colorado Alliance

Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault

Women & Girls Foundation Southwest Pennsylvania

Women Donors Network & WDN Action

Women's Foundation of Florida

Women's Foundation of Minnesota

Youth Leadership Institute