APANO responds to shooting tragedy in Atlanta metro area

CW: Racial- and gender-based violence

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Heartbroken. Enraged. Devastated.

We are reeling from the painful news from the Atlanta area yesterday and grieving the eight lives that were lost - including six Asian women - by acts of gun violence. To the victims and their loved ones, to API communities and partners on the ground in Georgia, we are with you, and we’re sending our condolences and support.

The details of what happened are still unfolding, but for weeks and longer, we have been alarmed by the escalation of anti-Asian hate and violence. We must also be explicit that this violence has disproportionately impacted API women - that gender-based violence is as much at play in this pandemic of hate as racial violence. The tragedy in Atlanta especially points to the racialized sexual violence Asian women face in this country and globally.

We know this is a scary time for our API community. This news continues to heighten fears, especially among women, gender nonconforming, femmes, and trans community members, and it is unacceptable. We must continue to support each other and demand our rights and safety.

We call on our allies to do so with us - to condemn the racism and violence inflicted on API communities, that we know is all too familiar to our BIPOC neighbors and partners. We must care for each other and work together to root out the racism that threatens all of us.

In the days to come, there will be many ways to show support and take action.You can start by supporting groups on the ground:

Read this statement from Georgia’s Asian American leaders.

Support these local advocates:

Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta

Asian American Advocacy Fund

9to5 Georgia

National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum - Atlanta

How you can help:

Donate. All donations will go directly to support the victims and their families and to support crisis intervention across the Asian American community.

Here are more ways to support efforts in Georgia.

About APANO

APANO unites Asians and Pacific Islanders to build power, develop leaders, and advance equity through organizing, advocacy, community development, and cultural work. We envision a just world where Asians and Pacific Islanders and communities who share our aspirations and struggles have the power, resources, and voice to determine our own futures, and where we work in solidarity to drive political, social, economic, and cultural change. Learn more at www.apano.org.