Across the country, citizens hold rallies to denounce violence against Asian Americans

Trigger Warning: Racism, Violence Against Asian Americans

After the distressing and racially motivated killings of six Asian women (and two others) at three spas in Georgia, thousands of citizens across the United States have rallied to denounce violence against Asian Americans. In addition to a rally in Atlanta, events were planned in New York, Houston, Columbus, and elsewhere. Although the investigation into the murders is still underway and the suspect claimed that the shootings were not motivated by race, anti-Asian hate crimes have been on the rise, especially so during the Coronavirus pandemic. Community leaders believe the violence that took place on Tuesday has only added to existing fears, CNN reports.

According to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, hate crimes against Asian Americans have more than doubled during the pandemic. These crimes have been coupled with growing racist, anti-Asian rhetoric. Asian Americans have been the primary target of vitriol about the "China virus" or the "Kung flu." The recent killings were only a culmination of this environment of hate. Jo-Ann Yoo, executive director of the Asian American Federation, told reporters while attending a rally in New York City, "It took a really long time for us to even be acknowledged about what was happening, and it took the deaths of eight people—six of the women who look like me—for people to start realizing what we've been saying [about rising violence] since last year."

Similar sentiments were shared by other Asian Americans who attended rallies and candlelight vigils. Xinrui Li, for instance, left flowers outside one of the Atlanta spas on Saturday. "Right now I really feel very insecure, because even before this, when I was on the street sometimes people will ask me questions like, 'Why are you here?'" She said. "Nowadays after these things happen, I really feel scared." Timothy Phan was another citizen in attendance at a rally on Saturday. He drove eight hours from Florida to oppose rising violence against Asian Americans. He affirmed, "The people, the women who perished, I see my family in them."

Despite the growing fear, a Cherokee County official claimed that the suspect simply had a "really bad day." US Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock condemned the statement at Saturday's rally in Atlanta. "I'm not interested in whether or not he had a bad day," Warnock affirmed. "We got to stop pretending like hate laws and laws regarding terrorism only apply to Black people and brown people and people of color and Muslims." Ossoff added, "We stand resiliently in defiance of hatred and murder. This is Georgia. This is love. This is compassion. This is the best of us and this is what defines the people of our state and our nation, not those who kill or scapegoat or engage in racism or hate speech or hate crimes."

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris joined the Atlanta rally and condemned the attacks. "The conversation we had today with the (Asian American and Pacific Islander) leaders, and that we're hearing all across the country, is that hate and violence often hide in plain sight. It's often met with silence," Biden stated. "That's been true throughout our history, but that has to change because our silence is complicity." Finally, it appears, the country is waking up to the lived realities of Asian Americans and the very real fear they experience on a daily basis. What will define this moment is how our communities choose to take action in order to inspire systemic change.