SABA-NC strongly condemns the recent brutal murders of eight individuals, six of whom were women of Asian descent, in the spa shootings in and around Atlanta, Georgia. It cannot be ignored that these killings occurred within the context of a sharp rise in anti-Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) violence across the United States over the past year, and within the context of this country’s troubled history of discrimination against AAPI communities. We strongly urge law enforcement to investigate whether any hate crime statutes apply to these murders. 

As members of the AAPI community, we grieve the loss of innocent lives in this savage attack. We call upon our membership to learn about additional ways to support and protect the AAPI community. For more resources on how you can help and get involved, please go to https://stopaapihate.org/actnow/. We also encourage everyone to attend a SABA-NC co-sponsored program on April 23, 2021 addressing anti-API violence. Click here for more information: https://www.sdcba.org/?pg=events&evAction=showDetail&eid=97495