All of us at The Campaign To Keep Guns Off Campus are deeply saddened by the murderous firearm rampage in Atlanta this week that robbed the lives of eight people, six of whom where Asian women. While every act of terrorism and violence of any kind leaves a unique and painfully indelible imprint, this attack on our Asian community, as those on our Black community in Georgia, hits close to home.
Our former staff attorney, now Georgia House Representative Marvin Lim, delivered the following thoughtful proposals at the Georgia State Capitol hours after the mass shooting in his home town.
“As an Asian-American and an immigrant, I am so heartbroken by the senseless loss of these eight lives in our state and our country. As we necessarily put our primary focus on those most directly and tragically impacted – the victims, survivors, and their families themselves, both Asian and non-Asian, women and not – I also urge our country, in the midst of a year of racial reckoning, to ensure that the narratives and needs of Asian Americans continue to be part of the conversations we’re having – long after this tragedy.
So, as we have policy conversations around racial equity and tolerance; the protection of BIPOC communities; violence against women in all forms; gun safety; workplace safety; …mental health services, not only from the perspective of those who might do harm but those who ARE harmed and traumatized; the appropriate response by law enforcement to violence and extremism; and even simply how we care for our small businesses, particularly those that are minority or immigrant-owned – just a few of the issues raised by this tragedy, from the Asian-American perspective – I urge all of us to honor the victims, their families, and the AAPI community at-large by ensuring that our voices will continue to be heard.”
HOW YOU CAN HELP
There are many organizations in Georgia that all need and deserve your support but here are two suggestions of organizations that we have worked with: Asian Americans Advancing Justice and Black Voters Matter.
Thank you for all you do,
Kathryn Grant, State Affairs Director
The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus
