This week we mourn the lives of eight people in Atlanta, Georgia, six of them, Asian American women. Hate, misogyny, and racism all played a critical role in this attack, which has not yet been designated as a hate crime despite the number of Asian victims and the fact that Asian businesses were targeted.

The one-year anniversary of the pandemic tracks with a rise in discrimination and targeted violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. In the past few months, the violence against Asian elders has increased in many of FUSE’s partner communities, such as San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Los Angeles, and countless others, including Atlanta. Violence and discrimination against Asian Americans have always existed, but are finally becoming more publicized.

The media coverage of this tragedy has, however, only underscored our nation’s struggle to understand the factors that lead to such crimes, including numerous cases of victimizing the victims, making excuses for white perpetrators, and propagating racist stigmas in reporting. We must name our challenges to combat them: white supremacy, racism, misogyny, bigotry, and xenophobia.

March is also Women’s History Month, calling on us to examine how our multiple identities come into play – gender, ethnicity, race, and class.

At FUSE, we work to advance racial equity and combat systemic racism. Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing additional information and resources to help raise awareness and inspire action.