March 16th marks one year since a gunman shot and killed eight people in metro Atlanta, six of whom were of Asian descent.
That day, national and local news outlets scrambled to uncover the motives of the killer, the details of the day, and the identities of the people who lost their lives. Information began to emerge - community journalist Sang Yeon Lee of Atlanta K discovered that four of those killed were Korean. Two were of Chinese descent.
It all happened against the backdrop of a larger pattern in the U.S.: a skyrocketing increase in hate violence targeting Asian Americans since the start of the pandemic.
Here in Georgia, diverse organizations came together under the leadership of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta and contributed to the Atlanta 3/16 Survivors Fund. Through it, families of those directly impacted began to receive financial support.
But naturally, processing, grieving, healing, and rebuilding has been a journey.
Robert Peterson, son of 63-year old Yong Ae Yue who was killed in the attacks said, "Some had said this pain would go away and I would smile again....that day has yet to come."
As you go through your week, here are five things you can do:
2) Gather (in real life) and raise your voice: Join the Break the Silence: Asian Justice Rally on Wednesday, March 16th at 12pm at the GA Railroad Freight Depot (65 MLK Drive, SW, Atlanta). Community leaders, elected officials, and advocates will gather to "break the silence on anti-Asian hate and violence." More details here.
3) Attend a commemorative event: The Atlanta Korean American Committee Against Asian Hate is hosting a commemorative event also on Wednesday, March 16th, at the Korean American Center (5900 Brook Hollow Parkway, Norcross). The event is from 6:00pm to 7:30pm.
If you can't make it, the Georgia Asian Pacific Bar Association (GAPABA) and GAPABA Law Foundation are hosting a remembrance event at 5:00pm next Wednesday, March 23rd in Atlanta (201 17th St, NW, 18th Fl, Atlanta). $15 to attend - and proceeds will go towards the AAPI Crime Victims & Education Fund. Details and registration info here.
4) Support community serving organizations: Groups like Asian Americans Advancing Justice- Atlanta, Raksha and the Center for Pan Asian Community Services (CPACS) play critical roles by providing everything from mental health support for survivors of trauma, to civic engagement education to social services for Asian communities in Georgia. Learn more about their work and how you can support them through a donation or otherwise.
5) Read: "How the Atlanta spa shootings tell a story of America" - Investigative journalist May Jeong wrote this incredible story that recounts never before told details of what transpired that day, the contours of the lives of the people who were killed, and puts all of it in breathtaking context.
I'm including an excerpt here, just to give you a sense. It focuses on Daoyou Feng's origin story, and what had ultimately pushed her to move to the U.S.:
"When Daoyou Feng was 14 or 15, or maybe 16—accounts vary—she left home, a village near Zhanjiang prefecture in China, and moved 260 miles east to Guangzhou city, near Hong Kong, where she found work at a toy factory. Feng’s family was desperately poor and relied on Feng and her older brother Daoqun, who left home when Feng was three or four to work at a rubber tree farm, where he made the equivalent of $5 a month. Another brother, Daoxian, whose foot was debilitated in a childhood injury, supported himself by farming. Her sister Mei, also sent away to find work in the city, had eloped with a factory worker. And so the weight of filial duty fell on the shoulders of young Feng...."
Read the full story here.
Top photo: Art installation displayed at the Community Remembrance event at Blackburn Park on Saturday, March 12th. Photo Credit: Arvin Temkar.
