Solidarity against anti-Asian racism and support for Asian community
On March 16, 2021, a white male supremacist murdered eight Asian Americans, six of whom were Asian women, at three spas or massage parlors in the metropolitan area of Atlanta. This brutal shooting incidence and how the incidence was dealt with police and how media presented the victims as just massage parlor sex workers rather than human beings with families and loved ones and hopes and dreams that were brutally cut short reflect how Asian women experience a gendered racism. This incidence is a brutal reminder of persisting misogyny and white supremacy and also part of a larger pattern of anti-Asian racism and hate crimes and violence against women that has escalated during the pandemic.
In Situ Lab expresses our grief and solidarity with eight Asian Americans who got murdered in Atlanta shooting: Xiaojie Tan (age 49), Daoyou Feng (age 44), Delaina Ashley Yaun (age 33), Paul Andre Michels (age 54), Soon Chung Park “박순정” (age 74), Hyun Jung Grant “(김)현정” (age 51), Suncha Kim “김순자” (age 69), and Yong Ae Yue “유용애” (age 63).
As a research group, we reaffirm our commitment to confront violence against Asian, Black, immigrant, and Indigenous people and to driving research and teaching practices that transform systems of oppression.
Resources provided by SKHS:
Please know there are supports available if you need help to navigate distress or violence.
Students seeking support can make an appointment at Student Wellness Services, or call Good2Talk, at 1-866-925-5454. There are also International Student Advisors at the Queen’s University International Center (QUIC).
Queen's employees and their families can contact their Employee and Family Assistance Program through Homewood Health at 1-800-663-1142 or 1-866-398-9505.
If you are a woman who is experiencing or has experienced violence or abuse, and would like to talk with someone for emotional support, safety planning, or crisis counselling, you can phone the Assaulted Women’s Helpline at 1-866-863-0511. It is free, confidential and anonymous. If you are deaf, deaf-blind, or hard of hearing, the Assaulted Women’s Helpline has a TTY line available at 1-866-863-7868, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
Relevant readings
Report on “A year of racist attacks: Anti-Asian racism across Canada one year into the COVID-19 pandemic” from the Chinese Canadian National Council’s (CCNC) Toronto Chapter.
Joint statement from a group of Canadian organizations.
Lily Cho (Associate Dean of Global and Community Engagement at York University)’s blog post as a response to Atlanta shooting “Still Grieving: Atlanta”.
