In art and words, nearly 1,000 members of the Asian American community and allies of the Bay Area gathered today in Chinatown, San Francisco to witness the eight victims of the recent mass shooting in Georgia – where six of the victims were Asian American women – as well as the other victims of anti-Asian violence in the Bay and beyond.
The Portsmouth Square event, entitled “From the Bay to Atlanta: A Safe Space for Asian Americans to Grieve and Rage”, was organized by a coalition of neighborhood groups, including the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA) and the Community Coalition for Safety and Justice. (CCSJ). Participants in the event wrote letters and created art to honor those who suffered. Many held signs to protest the increase in anti-Asian violence that escalated during the pandemic.
Organizers are comparing the event to the Qingming Festival, which takes place on April 4 this year in a few weeks. Chinese holiday is a traditional time for people to mourn and celebrate the lives of those who are gone.
“Whether we are grandparents, workers, women or young people, we all deserve security and it is clear that the current systems are not working,” Shaw San Liu, executive director of the Chinese Progressive Association, said in a statement. “We must fight racism, economic inequality and sexism / gender-based violence with effective community-based solutions if we want to achieve true security for our communities.”