Racial and Gender Justice Must be at the Heart of our Movements

By Jung Hee Choi

Today we are sitting with many emotions: grief, rage, and exhaustion to name a few.

Yesterday eight people were killed at the hands of a white supremacist, including six Asian women. We want to name the Atlanta-area massage parlor shootings for what they are: hate crimes. Hate crimes against Asians. Hate crimes against Asian women. Hate crimes that are part of a long and disturbing pattern of treatment of Asian Americans dating back to the 1800s. In 2020, this violence dramatically grew — 16 cities reported a 150 percent rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans.

This growth in violence is not random. For over a year the previous federal administration fanned the flames of racism and xenophobia against Asian Americans and immigrants to deflect from their own failures in the pandemic. These politicians scapegoated communities of color and used racism to deflect and maintain their own power and wealth.

As a multi-racial alliance of youth organizing groups made up of Asian, Black, Latinx and Indigenous, immigrant, queer and trans leaders — we recognize how critical it is for us to fight racial and gender violence. We must call out racism when we see it and unlearn what white supremacist ideology teaches us — to hate Asians, to be anti-Black and anti-immigrant — to pit our communities against one another. We must stand together against white supremacist violence that aims to divide us.

Yesterday was an example of why we must have racial AND gender justice at the heart of our movements. These women were targeted because they were ASIAN WOMEN. White supremacy is built on racism and patriarchy.

We will continue to fight for a world where our elders can walk in peace. A world where we can ride the bus safely. A world where our children are not bullied and can proudly share their culture. A world where we receive respect, dignity, and protection at work. A world where we are seen, valued, and loved — no matter where we come from.

We are holding the victims’ loved ones in mind as they navigate this devastating loss of life — please consider a donation and supporting Georgia-based Asian American organizing groups.

You can find links to support these organizations on our linktree.

For more from Jung Hee, check out her recent interview on KPFA or read her previous piece, Being A Model American Won’t Protect Asian Americans from Coronavirus Racism.