We survive by taking care of one another
“The only way to survive is by taking care of one another.” –Grace Lee Boggs
We continue to reel from the March 16 killing spree that devastated metropolitan Atlanta and called our nation’s focus to the unchecked escalation of violence against our Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. Today, as we hear about another mass shooting in Boulder, CO, we honor the people who lost their lives in the despicable, terroristic act in metropolitan Atlanta that was rooted in the centuries-old, overlapping narratives of misogyny and racial oppression, and nurtured within the ongoing structural disenfranchisement of the AAPI community.
We remember their names. We honor their lives.
- Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33
- Paul Andre Michels, 54
- Xiaojie Tan, 49
- Daoyou Feng, 44
- Soon Chung Park, 74
- Hyun Jung Grant, 51
- Suncha Kim, 69
- Yong Ae Yue, 63
We also lift up Elcias Hernandez Ortiz, who is fighting to recover from a life-threatening gunshot wound.
We stand with the AAPI community. We stand in solidarity with women of color. We stand with the victims’ loved ones.
And we continue to fight for racial equity. To thrive, we must stand together in multiracial solidarity against the inequitable systems in our society that perpetuate violence against the AAPI community.
In the immortal words of Grace Lee Boggs, “the only way to survive is by taking care of one another.”
We encourage everyone who is committed to equity to stay engaged, learn deeply, and support the organizations and leaders who are doing this work. We are proud to stand with organizations that are doing organizing work in Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the American South, as well as organizations that are fighting for equity for all women of color — and the well-being of their bodies — within our health and justice systems.
Here’s what you can do:
Donate to the families of the victims via GoFundMe:
- Soon Chung Park
- Delaina Ashely Yuan
- Suncha Kim
- Xiaojie Tan
- Hyun Jung Grant
- Yong Ae Yue
- Paul Andre Michels
- Medical bills for Elcias Hernandez Ortiz
Invest in AAPI organizations:
- Center for Pan Asian Community Services
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta
- Angkor Resource Center
- National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum
- Stop AAPI Hate
Explore the issue through further reading, articles, and statements:
- Read this call to action from the Korean American Coalition of Metro Atlanta, and learn how you can have an impact on racist and xenophobic hate crimes.
- Listen to and read a statement from Project South’s Co-Director Emery Wright, and learn about the Black and Asian communities’ shared history.
- Race Forward decries hate violence against Asian Americans in Atlanta and across the country
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice’s community-centered response to violence against Asian American Communities
- “This is Personal”: Statement on Anti-Asian Violence from our friend Dwayne Patterson, Chief Equity Impact Officer, Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation
I continue to believe that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was right, “the arc of history bends towards justice.” We will continue to stand. We will continue to fight for racial equity. And we will continue to persevere.
Onward towards equity,
Nathaniel Q. Smith, Jr.
Founder and Chief Equity Officer
