‘me too.’ Statement on the Recent Attacks on AAPI Communities

On Tuesday, March 17th, eight people were tragically shot and killed at three massage parlors in the Acworth area of Atlanta at the hands of a white supremacist. Six of the victims of this hate crime were Asian. Seven were women. 

As a survivor-led organization, ‘me too.’ is unapologetically naming this violent moment a manifestation of white supremacy, patriarchal violence, and decades worth of harmful rhetoric attacking Asian communities. From the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to sex trafficking motivated by the hypersexualization of Asian women here and abroad, to the Trump administration stoking the fires of anti-Asian sentiments during the COVID-19 pandemic, Asian communities have experienced violence in all facets of their lives. What happened on Tuesday was not within a vacuum. It is connected to the everyday attacks on our bodies due to racism, sexual violence, exploitation, police violence, and more. 

We are heartbroken that our communities are once again experiencing violence, and infuriated by the media’s attempt to spin the actions of white supremacists instead of taking a serious look at the culture, systems, and institutions that allow for this kind of hatred. 

We deserve better. 

In the coming weeks, the media and local governments will be pushing for more police, more anti-Asian propaganda, more attacks on our body autonomy and choices. We encourage our ‘me too.’ community to consider the dangers of false solutions, and instead, ask ourselves: What are the community-driven solutions that get us closer to a world free of violence without replicating the oppressive systems that engender policing and abuse of power? How do we ensure that survivors are held, protected, and have means of accountability and transformation? 

We invite you to answer these questions with us and to make a long-term commitment to  healing and transformation. If you are feeling the heaviness of this moment, and are prepared to show up for survivors, we ask that you take a moment and do two things: 1) Learn more about anti-Asian violence at stopaapihate.org, and 2) donate what you can to the victim support fund by Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta.

We are committed to doing our part to dismantle white supremacy, racial capitalism, and patriarchal violence—the very systems that emboldened this attack.