Statement of Solidarity for the AAPI Community

Dear SSA Community,

Over the course of the last week, we witnessed two more tragedies take place. We are completely dismayed by the murders of 8 people in metro Atlanta last Tuesday, and the act of gun violence that took 10 lives in Colorado yesterday.

Last Tuesday was very difficult for many due to the act of targeted violence against the men and women who lost their lives. This was a hate crime against the Asian/Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. It is important that we all seek to educate ourselves on the hate crimes against the AAPI community existing in our history in the United States. These are crimes that have taken place across time, and that have increased throughout this pandemic.

There have been at least 3,795 reported hate incidents targeting the AAPI community from March 19, 2020 to February 28, 2021. Here you will find several resources and a list of acts of structural violence against the AAPI community across U.S. History. We are calling for our community to elevate the voices of AAPI community members. This most recent incident is another reminder of the noticeable increase in hate crimes that Asian and Asian American communities have experienced since the beginning of the pandemic.

SSA believes our community is stronger when we all commit to honoring and upholding one another’s inherent dignity and humanity. We must unite to continue to dismantle racial injustice in our country. It is important to state that acts of racial injustice affect all of us in this work. This is when, now more than ever, we educate ourselves; we learn about the oppression experienced by others, and we learn how to stand up for one another.

We grieve for the lives of the victims and we grieve with their families. Both tragedies are in our hearts. We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the 10 victims who lost their lives to gun violence yesterday. We honor the lives of all of those who passed due to the senseless acts of violence that took place in this past week.

In love and solidarity, we say their names-

Atlanta, March 16, 2021-

Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33; Paul Andre Michels, 54; Xiaojie Tan, 49; Daoyou Feng, 44; Soon Chung Park, 74; Hyun JungGrant, 51; Sun Cha Kim, 69; Yong Ae Yue.

Boulder, March 22, 2021-

Denny Strong, 20; Neven Stanisic, 23; Rikki Olds, 25; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Teri Leiker, 51; Boulder police Officer Eric Talley, 51; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; Jody Waters, 65.