March 16, 2022 – Statement on the One-Year Anniversary of the Atlanta Massacre
See the statement posted by the League of California Cities Asian Pacific Islander Caucus.
Joel
Elk Grove, California – The League of California Cities Asian Pacific Islander (API) Caucus issued the following statement in response to the one-year anniversary of the Atlanta massacre that took place on March 16, 2021. Today marks the one-year anniversary of the tragic massacre in Atlanta, Georgia. A total of eight people were murdered, six of whom were Asian women. This targeted attack towards the AAPI community has come as part of the ever-increasing number of anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic. According to the Stop AAPI Hate coalition, 78% of Asian American women have experienced hate in the past two years. “Racism is deeply rooted in our history and we must not forget the countless lives that have been lost because of it. Ensuring culturally-relevant education is taught in our public school systems is one of the most powerful violence prevention tools. It is our racial differences that make our communities thrive,” said Stephanie Nguyen, President of League of California Cities Asian Pacific Islander Caucus and Councilmember of Elk Grove. “The impact of violence against Asian American women is still felt across our nation today. We must continue to raise awareness to these issues that disproportionately affect AAPI communities, especially AAPI women. They should not have to live in fear on a daily basis. We call for change and justice to protect our community by investing in programs that uplift the AAPI community and their voices. We encourage anyone who has either seen or been a victim of these senseless attacks to please report it to the Stop AAPI Hate Center at StopAAPIHate.org.” |