Our heart goes out to the AAPI community in the wake of the horrific spa massacre in Georgia and the loved ones of the victims.
We know white supremacy, anti-Asian racism, and sexism are at the root of this tragedy and the spike in harassment and violence against Asian Americans—no matter how many news outlets wrongly amplify the denials of the alleged shooter while ignoring the lived experiences of people of Asian descent, including rampant racialized misogyny that hyper-sexualizes and targets AAPI women.
“The United States has not reckoned with its racist roots or even adequately acknowledged it, and that includes harassment and violence toward Asian Americans and Asian immigrants,” says WLP Director Carol E. Tracy. “Asian American people in our communities report feeling traumatized and fearful. We must all work harder to protect the AAPI community from systemic abuse, and push back on racist misogynist narratives that galvanize violence and harassment.”
WLP signed a letter in solidarity with the AAPI community that was submitted to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties on March 18 during a hearing on Asian American Discrimination and Violence.
In the letter, we joined the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in calling on our local and state government to provide robust and responsive crisis intervention resources, including in-language support for mental health, legal, employment, and immigration services.
In March 2020, the group Stop AAPI Hate was established to track hate incidents targeting AAPI people in response to the escalation in xenophobia and bigotry amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the Philadelphia Inquirer reported, nearly 70% of the national reports were verbal harassment or name-calling, with 35% happening at a business and 25% occurring on a public street or sidewalk. Of the people who reported being attacked, nearly 70% were women.
In Philadelphia, reports to the city of anti-Asian American hate tripled between 2019 and 2020.
Virtual Vigil Tonight at 7PM
The Georgia chapter of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is holding a vigil in honor of the victims of the Atlanta-area shootings. You can stream the vigil on their facebook page here.
Sign a petition and subscribe to updates and calls to action from NAPAWF here.
The Women’s Law Project is a public interest law center in Pennsylvania devoted to advancing and defending the rights of women, girls, and LGBTQ+ people in Pennsylvania and beyond.
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