Several organizations in the Orange County community held vigils this week to remember the Asian Americans recently killed in a Georgia shooting, as well as those who have faced renewed racism in the last year.

The death of six Asian women at Atlanta-area massage parlors on Tuesday sparked nationwide discussions about racist treatment of Asian Americans, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people who identify as Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have shared stories of how anti-immigrant and racist rhetoric around the coronavirus have contributed to increased violence. Others have taken the opportunity to share stories of violence or racism directed toward them in prior years, like former UNC basketball player Kane Ma.

The Northern Orange NAACP, the Hillsborough Progressives Taking Action group and the Hate-Free Schools Coalition held a joint candlelight vigil Friday night at the Old Orange County Courthouse. While the messaging honored the Asian American women killed in Atlanta, speakers also highlighted how this targeted racism is not new to the AAPI community.

Chapel Hill Town Council member Tai Huynh spoke during the event and said as a Vietnamese American, he knows the challenges both his Asian ancestors faced and Asian Americans currently face with xenophobia and racism.

“This tragedy, this senseless murder,” said Huynh, “because some white dude ‘had a bad day’ really hurt. I just look out and see the solidarity here and [I] know solidarity is the only way forward. White supremacy is indiscriminate in its discrimination of us.”

Phian Tran, the community engagement director for North Carolina Asian Americans Together, also shared her thoughts at the vigil. She spoke to the ongoing national conversation about addressing racial injustice against Black Americans and said she believes all minority communities are in the same fight against white supremacy.

“We rarely see reported times of cross-racial solidarity with marginalized groups,” Tran said. “But that’s not true: I experience it every day. I see now that tiredness from being the educator, while also experiencing violence and processing our emotions.”

The UNC Asian American Center held a vigil of its own Wednesday night, a virtual event to honor those in the AAPI community recently killed or affected racist attacks. Director Heidi Kim said it was “meaningful” to see a diverse turnout for the event, as many Asian Americans have been showing support in the past year to organizations like Black Lives Matter aiming to end racial injustice.

“There have been really difficult and important conversations happening within the community at the same time that we’ve been trying to deal with this rise in anti-Asian sentiment,” said Kim, “with this skyrocketing level of hate crime against us.”

Kim said she believes Tuesday’s shooting jolted many Americans into realizing the level of racism against the Asian American community. She said there’s hope these discussions could have lasting, positive effects both nationally and locally.

The Asian American Center director also said those looking to support AAPI community members should do so in additional moments beyond tragedies or emergencies.

“We’re going to continue with our work of celebrating and educating on the richness, diversity and history of Asian America,” Kim said. “We need people to be with us in the good times as well as the bad, because I think education is really what [will] move us forward so we have less of the bad times.”

More vigils are scheduled to be held on Sunday in Orange County. The Chinese American Friendship Association and North Carolina Asians American Together will hold a program from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Peace and Justice Plaza on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. The Campus Y on UNC’s campus will also hold a share circle and vigil outside its building at 6:30 p.m.

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

 

 

Related Stories
‹
Echoes of Breonna Taylor in Shooting of Black Man in Georgia
Written by KATE BRUMBACK Johnny Lorenzo Bolton was lying with his eyes closed on a couch in his apartment near Atlanta when police serving a narcotics search warrant burst through the front door with guns drawn and no warning. Bolton stood up and at least one of the officers fired, sending two bullets into Bolton’s chest. […]
Rayshard Brooks Struggled in System but Didn’t Hide His Past
Rayshard Brooks didn’t hide his history. About five months before he was killed by Atlanta police in a Wendy’s parking lot — before his name and case would become the latest rallying point in a massive call for racial justice and equality nationwide — Brooks gave an interview to an advocacy group about his years of struggle in the […]
Records Show Deputy Charged in Sonya Massey’s Fatal Shooting Worked for 6 Agencies in 4 Years
Written by JOHN O’CONNOR and COREY WILLIAMS The former sheriff’s deputy charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman killed inside her Illinois home, had been employed by a half-dozen police agencies since 2020, according to state law enforcement records. Sean Grayson’s career included short stints as a part-time officer at […]
'The Floodgates Are Open': Duke Research Center Tracks Police Reform Bills in U.S.
The topic of police reform has been high on the national agenda since George Floyd was killed three years ago. But what reforms are actually being proposed, and which of those proposals are actually getting enacted? Brandon Garrett is a law professor at Duke University who leads the Wilson Center for Science and Justice. Having […]
Tyre Nichols’ Brutal Beating by Police Shown on Video
Written by ADRIAN SAINZ Authorities released video footage Friday showing Tyre Nichols being beaten by five Memphis police officers who held the Black motorist down and repeatedly struck him with their fists, boots and batons as he screamed for his mother. The video is filled with violent moments showing the officers, who are also Black, chasing […]
3 Men Charged in Ahmaud Arbery’s Death Convicted of Murder
Written by RUSS BYNUM Three men were convicted of murder Wednesday in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, the Black man who was running empty-handed through a Georgia subdivision when the white strangers chased him, trapped him on a quiet street and blasted him with a shotgun. The February 2020 slaying drew limited attention at first. But […]
Tool for Police Reform Rarely Used by Local Prosecutors
Written by MARTHA BELLISLE Isaiah Obet was behaving erratically and in mental distress in 2017 when Officer Jeff Nelson ordered his police dog to attack and then shot Obet in the torso. Obet fell to the ground and Nelson fired again, fatally shooting Obet in the head. The officer said his life was in danger. […]
Minnesota Shooting Charging Decision Awaited, Protests Go On
Written by MOHAMED IBRAHIM and MIKE HOUSEHOLDER Prosecutors expect to decide Wednesday whether to charge a white former police officer who fatally shot a Black man during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb, sparking nights of protests and raising tensions amid the nearby murder trial of the ex-officer charged with killing George Floyd. Brooklyn Center police officer […]
Protest After Chief Says Officer Meant To Use Taser, Not Gun
Written by MOHAMED IBRAHIM and MIKE HOUSEHOLDER Police clashed with protesters for a second night in the Minneapolis suburb where an officer who authorities say apparently intended to fire a Taser, not a handgun, fatally shot a Black man during a traffic stop. Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon described Sunday’s shooting death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright […]
Asian American Community Members Hold Vigils For Atlanta Shooting
Several organizations in the Orange County community held vigils this week to remember the Asian Americans recently killed in a Georgia shooting, as well as those who have faced renewed racism in the last year. The death of six Asian women at Atlanta-area massage parlors on Tuesday sparked nationwide discussions about racist treatment of Asian […]
›