On Tuesday evening, a gunman in Atlanta took the lives of eight people, six of whom were Asian American, at three different massage parlors. The tragedy is believed by many to be racially-motivated and is an unfortunate example of an increased number of hate crimes against Asian Americans that have taken place since the pandemic’s outbreak. Many are calling for an awareness of anti-Asian violence, and John Legend is now the latest celebrity to speak out against the “horrible” news.
According to non-profit organization Stop Asian American Pacific Islander Hate, nearly 3,800 incidents of violence have been reported since the pandemic. Following the news of the tragic Atlanta shooting, many have shared an outpouring of support for the families affected and their fellow Asian American community members who fear for their own safety.
John Legend, whose wife Chrissy Teigan has a mother from Thailand, took to Twitter to condemn the crimes. “Absolutely horrible,” he wrote. “Sending love to all the loved ones of those whose lives were taken. Our nation needs to reckon with the increased threats being directed at our Asian-American brothers and sisters.”
Absolutely horrible. Sending love to all the loved ones of those whose lives were taken. Our nation needs to reckon with the increased threats being directed at our Asian-American brothers and sisters. https://t.co/52DCKPeDOt
— John Legend (@johnlegend) March 17, 2021
Lana Condor, singer/songwriter and actor in Netflix’s popular film To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, similarly used her platform to spread awareness. “Wake up… your Asian friends and family are deeply scared, horrified, sick to their stomachs and wildly angry,” she wrote. “Please please please check in on us, please please please stand with us. Please. Your Asian friend needs you, even if they aren’t publicly grieving on social media.”
Wake up… your Asian friends and family are deeply scared, horrified, sick to their stomachs and wildly angry. Please please please check in on us, please please please stand with us. Please. Your Asian friend needs you, even if they aren’t publicly grieving on social media. x
— Lana Condor (@lanacondor) March 17, 2021
Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner also posted her thoughts on the upsetting news and shared several examples of racism she and her fellow Asian Americans have faced. “We are white adjacent until we are not,” she wrote. “Til someone calls us a chink, or mocks an accent, claims we started this virus from eating dogs and bats, attacks our elders, targets and kills us. Dunno wtf it does to say stop AAPI [Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders] hate but it is important to acknowledge this is very real.”