On March 17th, a white man shot six Asian women at three spas in Atlanta. The media and police have tiptoed around the realities of this heinous crime. One officer attributed the shooter’s actions to ‘having a bad day.’ The shooter himself claimed that he needed to eliminate the temptation the massage parlours caused for his sex addiction. News outlets have been reluctant to name the racism behind the shooting.
The reality is that this was an act enabled by racism and the intersections of patriarchal and Christian Evangelical ideologies. In response, activists in the Asian community have created the hashtag #StopAsianHate. This is a valid call in the face of obvious anti-Asian violence. However, the Atlanta spa shooting was not just a matter of anti-Asian racism.
The significance of the uptick of anti-Asian violence and sentiments cannot be understated. It is a symptom of the growing boldness of White Supremacy. It is proof that the reality of the ‘model minority’ is still defined by racism and ‘Othering.’ It is a reminder that White Supremacy will always harm racialized people, and no group is excepted from its hate.
In our fight for justice and change, it is essential that we acknowledge the disease of White supremacy and not just its symptoms (acts of racism against specific communities). We cannot #StopAsianHate (or any racialized violence) until we stop White supremacy. We support and stand with Asian activists and community leaders who are driving the powerful stance and ongoing fight against White Supremacy in all its forms. We extend the call is to all communities of colour and accomplices for equity: we must direct our activism and our efforts to naming, calling out, and disrupting White supremacy even when we are not its targets. #StopWhiteSupremacy.