Statement on the Atlanta-Area Spa Shootings

Family Values @ Work joins our partner, 9to5 Georgia, and millions of Americans in condemning the shootings that took eight lives this week in the Atlanta-metro area, most of them Asian women. Much like the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, these shootings were an act of domestic terrorism, and the perpetrator—and those who incite such violence with their racist rhetoric—must be held accountable. 

The United States has a centuries-long history of pervasive sexualization and sexual exploitation of Asian American women and Asian immigrants. This legacy is further compounded by the long history of dehumanizing immigrants. We, as a society, need to address the intersection of misogyny, anti-Asian racism, and white Christian nationalism and how this combination has fueled hateful violence and discrimination.  

Sexism and racism have no place in our society and run afoul of our principles as a nation––equality, mutual respect, interdependence and care for one another. This egregious crime took place in the context of a year-long attack on Asian-American and Pacific Islander people who were irrationally blamed for the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This tragic loss of life also comes at the tail-end of five years of the former president and many others in high office condoning misogyny and white supremacy from the campaign trail to the White House and the halls of Congress. Compounding the devastation, the victims’ lives were taken while they worked, during a pandemic, in a state where their loved ones have no guaranteed paid time to grieve their loss.

Attacks like these are entirely predictable when people at the highest level spout anti-Asian and white supremacist vitriol with impunity. We must hold accountable the perpetrator of the murders in Georgia, and everyone who creates the environment that provokes such attacks.

Join us in our fight. Support our partner, 9to5 Georgia, as they provide aid to those impacted by these horrific murders. And sign-on to the Asian Americans Advancing Justice letter of solidarity, calling for a community-centered response to Asian-American violence. 

Photo: Charles Fox/Philadelphia Enquirer