03/19/2021
The shootings in Atlanta recently are saddening and shocking, however they sadly are not a surprise. Eight people, six of whom were Asian women, were killed in one day in a gruesome display of anti-Asian hatred as well as sexism that has been building in America. This is not something unique to Atlanta either, as this story in Los Angeles about an Asian Uber driver berated by a passenger (https://news.yahoo.com/uber-bans-passenger-racist-diatribe-232019156.html?guccounter=1) and this attack in San Diego on an 83-year-old woman (https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/arrest-made-after-woman-83-randomly-punched-on-mts-trolley-police-say/2523842/) show that this behavior can happen anywhere. SAGA, it's officers, members, and Advisor condem these acts of hatred and stand in solidarity with our Asian siblings. This country is coming out of four years of racist, sexist, and otherwise bigoted leadership that has shaped public perception into one that searches for scapegoats, especially Asian-Americas as a result of the messaging from former president Trump surrounding the coronavirus pandemic which laid blame on China. Active work must be done to combat not just the explicitly racist behavior we might encounter, but the implicitly racist behavior as well. We cannot sit idly by as this continues. It is up to each of us, individually, to take note of these behaviors we see others (and potentially even ourselves) engage in, and intervene when possible. Education and direct action is how we can prevent such a tragedy from happening again and move ourselves into a united and tolerant world. If you are able, there is a GoFundMe page that contains links to multiple donation campaigns to support the families of the victims in Atlanta (https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/atlanta-area-spa-shootings-fundraisers).
The incident comes amid a sharp rise in hate crimes against members of the Asian and Pacific Islander communities in Los Angeles, mirroring a national trend.
