Anti-Asian violence has risen across the US during the pandemic, including a shooting in the Atlanta area on March 16, 2021 during which a 21 year old white man, Robert Aaron Long, killed 8 people at massage parlors, 6 of whom were Asian women. The group Stop AAPI Hate has recorded 3,795 hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, with women victimized at more than twice the rate of men.
On March 16, 2021, Xiaojie Tan, 49; and Daoyou Feng, 44; Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33; and Paul Andre Michels, 54, died at Young’s Asian Massage. Elcias R. Hernandez-Ortiz, 30, was injured in the shooting. Soon C. Park, 74; Hyun J. Grant, 51; Suncha Kim, 69; and Yong A. Yue, 63 died in shootings at the other two massage parlors. We recognize the people who should be alive today as we work towards justice with our Asian community members. This is a healing practice learned from Black women in their struggle against white supremacy and police brutality against Black, Brown, and Indigenous peoples, and all people of color.
- To report anti-Asian and Pacific Islander hate incidents: Stop AAPI Hate
- To help prevent hate crimes as a bystander: Hollaback Guide to Bystander Intervention
- To report incidents of language barriers to accessing COVID-19 vaccines: report to Asian American Voices
- API mental health resources: Asian Mental Health Collective, Asians for Mental Health, free counseling for health care workers through the Frontline Workers Counseling Project
- Additional resources from Columbia University: 50 Free AAPI Anti-Racism and Mental Health Resources