Asian American / Asian Research Institute
The City University of New York
In May 2021, the city of Antioch issued a formal apology for the mistreatment of early Chinese immigrants, including the torching of Chinatown and driving out its residents.
For one afternoon, on Antioch’s main street and tranquil riverbank, the fragrance of burning incense was paired with the sound of Buddhist and Tao chants. Their cumulative calming energy was meant to be a balm of sorts to soothe the racial and religious hate that cast a shadow on Antioch’s legacy.
Chinese Americans are being targeted for their political activity.
Asian American organizers across the country are working to honor this day through events in cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Atlanta, said Justin Zhu, co-Founder of Stand with Asian Americans (SwAA), in an email to AsAmNews.
Today, Deputy Assistant to the President and Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Senior Liaison Erika L. Moritsugu traveled to Georgia and delivered a letter from Vice President Kamala Harris to community members honoring the eight lives tragically lost in the 2021 Atlanta spa murders.
Co-Chairs of the White House Initiative and President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders issue joint statement to underscore the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to combat anti-Asian hate and gender-based violence three years since the tragic shootings in Georgia.