Atlanta-area shootings and a history of hate
On Tuesday, a man shot and killed eight people - six of whom were Asian women. Their names are: Soon C. Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong A. Yue, Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, and Daoyou Feng. Police are saying that the motive is still unclear, and the shooter is claiming that it was not racially motivated. I'm calling it like I see it - it was a hate crime. Whether it was a hate crime against women, Asians or a mix of both - it was a hate crime. Regardless of motive, the shooter killed innocent people because of the way they look. I am angry, hurt, confused, sad, afraid and exhausted. Based on the rhetoric from this past year alone, I knew it was only a matter of time before someone got violent. Asian people, and in particular Chinese people, have been scapegoated in the United States for years, and particularly in times of economic uncertainty. Anti-Chinese sentiment has existed since the mid-19th century, reaching a peak following the construction o