UltraViolet Statement on the Murder of Eight People, Including Six Asian Americans in Atlanta Last Night
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, March 17, 2021
CONTACT: Anna Zuccaro | anna@unbendablemedia.com
UltraViolet Statement on the Murder of Eight People, Including Six Asian Americans in Atlanta Last Night
Statement from Shaunna Thomas, co-founder and executive director at UltraViolet:
“The murder of eight people including six Asian Americans – Delaina Ashley Yaun, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Paul Andre Michels, Julie Park, Hyeon Jeong Park — in Georgia last night is a national tragedy. We mourn their deaths.
“Unfortunately, these attacks are part of a larger epidemic of violence against Asian-Americans, one that is rooted in white supremacy, racism and misogyny. We must confront it.
“There have been more than 3,800 recorded Anti-Asian racist attacks over the last year. As we look deeper, the intersection of gender and race are at the heart of this rise in attacks. Of the 3,800 attacks in 2020, 68% of them were targeted at Asian Women. Misogyny fits squarely in the construct of white supremacy and white supremacist violence. Asian women have felt a particular threat that follows a long history of anti-Asian racism in America.
“These tragic killings also highlights the importance of the fight for sex workers’ rights. By pushing sex workers to the fringe of our society, we fail to protect them before deadly incidents occur. Sex workers are constantly at risk with little to no protection under the law. Victims of sex trafficking are almost exclusively immigrants, and mostly immigrant women. When they are victims of violence, they are treated like criminals in need of discipline, not survivors in need of support. We need to put a full stop to the objectification, fetishization, and sexualization of Asian women and girls and recognize their full humanity. Period.
“Thoughts and prayers”, “love, and social media support” are not enough. We can and must do better to confront the epidemic of violence against Asians living in the United States.”
# # # # #