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APALA Grieves for the Asian Women Who Were Victims of Targeted Shootings in Georgia, and condemns Misogyny and White Supremacy that Motivated These Murders

Washington, DC - Last night, eight people were murdered at three spas in Georgia, many of whom were Asian and immigrant women that were targeted at their workplaces. These killings happened amidst a global pandemic that has revealed the vulnerability most workers face in America and brought to the forefront anti-Asian racism, both of which are critical to maintaining white supremacy. These murders show how both racism and sexism shapes the specific ways that Asian women experience violence; Asian women are fetishized as sex objects and perceived as deserving of violence. Such dehumanization goes back to more than a century ago when the Page Act of 1875 defined all Asian women as sexually deviant and therefore limited their mobility and freedom. These murders were also driven by the demonization of China, where institutions from all sides are blaming a whole nation of people, and thus all people racialized in the same way, for everything from the COVID-19 pandemic to the resulting failing economy. 
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Monica Thammarath, President of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO stated, "We grieve for the eight workers who were killed in Atlanta. We take a moment to acknowledge that many of them were the aunties and immigrant women in our communities who face immense barriers to finding work and supporting their families. We also should not overlook the fact that these were Asian and Asian American women working in industries with few worker protections and oversight. It is misogyny and white supremacy that “both empower white nationalists to acts of violence, and policymakers to exclude workers from protections when they are in industries disproportionately represented by women and immigrants. We will hold the women and their coworkers and their grieving loved ones in our hearts as we continue to fight for our communities.” 

Building safety starts in our local communities. Check out the #WeKeepUsSafe: APALA’s Resource Guide on Anti-Asian Violence to learn more about how we can work together in the face of violence. We can learn so much from our Black and brown siblings on how we can build community safety without calling for more systems that perpetuate violence towards women, immigrants, Black people, disabled people, and others in our communities. ​
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We echo the calls of our siblings at Advancing Justice Atlanta, “During this time of crisis for our AAPI community, we call on our local and state government to provide robust and responsive crisis intervention resources, including in-language support for mental health, legal, employment, and immigration services. It is time for Georgia to invest in transformative justice that begins with cross racial dialogue and community-building that address the root causes of violence and hate.”

Georgia AFL-CIO President Charlie Flemming (IAM) released a statement on behalf of a mournful and determined state federation:

“The Georgia AFL-CIO, the state’s largest labor union federation, is devastated by these attacks. These women were killed while working low-wage, vulnerable jobs while the COVID-19 pandemic continues. No one should fear for their lives while working, and no one—no one—should be targeted for their race.

“While the motives for the shootings are still under investigation, one thing is certain: These attacks speak to the systemic impacts of misogyny, racism and white supremacy targeted at the Asian American community. Across the country, the onset of the pandemic, combined with the hateful rhetoric of our 45th president, has resulted in an increase of racially motivated attacks against our Asian American siblings—however, our nation has had a long and violent history of racism towards our Asian American family.

“We stand in solidarity with the families who have had these lives unjustly stolen from them. However, Asian Americans need more than solidarity—they need our support, commitment and real solutions. The Georgia AFL-CIO is committed to uplifting our Asian American communities to ensure they are safe and protected on the job and in every aspect of their lives.”

Statement from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka

Asian American workers are a vital part of our labor movement and have shown an immense amount of dedication throughout this pandemic. We will not stand by while members of our family are targeted. The murders in Atlanta are a horrific and disgusting part of the surging violence Asian Americans have faced over the past year, and reinforce that we all must continue to fight against anti-Asian racism in all forms. Our condolences go out to the victims’ loved ones.