National ACE's Statement on 1 Year Anniversary of Atlanta Shootings

March 16, 2022

Today marks one year since the attacks on three Asian-owned spas in Atlanta, leading to the deaths of eight people, including six Asian women. During this Women’s History Month, we honor the victims of this tragedy, many of whom were Asian women, small business owners, and matriarchs of their families and communities. We pause to acknowledge the gendered stereotypes and inequalities that render women and girls most vulnerable to hate incidents. The Atlanta spa shootings demonstrated how extremely anti-Asian hate can manifest. However, the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, who has endured 11,000 reported hate incidents in the last two years, knows all too well that xenophobic violence was not a new phenomenon, but rather rampant, ongoing, and an everyday occurrence. 

As anti-Asian assault, harassment, online bullying, and avoidance show no signs of slowing down for AAPI individuals and small businesses, the National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (National ACE) is committed to policies that tackle hate at every stage. National ACE was proud to garner public and corporate support for the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act through a corporate sign-on letter and endorsement campaign. We are also pleased that Congress recently appropriated $5 million for the implementation of the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act, which will promote more accurate hate crime data collection and assist hate crime victims. We applaud the many policymakers and community leaders committed to ensuring AAPI communities feel safe in their homes, streets, and businesses. 

Asian Americans compose the largest growing minority group in the United States. However, this diverse population has always struggled with misrepresentation and detrimental biases. We must tackle anti-Asian racism at its roots, including through education on AAPI history—a long history of struggle, exclusion, and discrimination—while dispelling the harmful ‘model-minority’ myth.  Additionally, National ACE will continue to encourage measures that support survivors in the aftermath of violent attacks to access health care, mental health resources, and street and public safety. 

“Today, we mourn the loss of the lives that were taken from us one year ago. We also recommit ourselves to putting an end to the consistent rise in attacks against the AAPI community. National ACE will continue to be a leader on these efforts and speak out against violence, racism, and xenophobia in all its forms,” said Chiling Tong, President and CEO of National ACE.