Faith Leaders Call for Full Hate Crime Investigation into Georgia Massage Parlors Killings
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2021
MEDIA CONTACT
Austin Schuler, aschuler@faithinpubliclife.org, (540) 280-3393
Louie Tan Vital, louie@newheightscommunications.com, (425) 330-5787
Faith Leaders Call for Full Hate Crime Investigation into Georgia Massage Parlors Killings
Faith in Public Life CEO: “White supremacy has no place in faith communities”
Washington, D.C. — In response to the Atlanta-area shootings at massage parlors that killed eight people, including six women of Asian descent, Faith in Public Life released the following statement:
Rev. Jennifer Butler, CEO of Faith in Public Life:
“I stand in faith, grief and solidarity with the Asian American community today and demand a full hate crimes investigation into this heinous attack that stole eight lives, including six Asian women. As a pastor who stands for human dignity and justice, I want to be clear that anti-Asian violence and white supremacy have no place in faith communities or anywhere else.
Though the motive of this crime has not yet been definitively determined, this attack comes on the heels of almost 3,800 anti-Asian hate crimes in the past year and is the latest abhorrent example of the white supremacy that has always marred this nation.
I pray for comfort for the families of the victims and all of my Asian neighbors who are living in a state of stress and fear from these senseless attacks. May we find strength in our solidarity as we grieve and band together against the evil forces of xenophobia, systemic racism, and misogyny.”
Graham Younger, Georgia Director of Faith in Public Life:
“Georgia communities of faith are uniting in solidarity to condemn these murders of Asian American women and to condemn the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes across the country. Georgians enacted a hate crime law last year because violence motivated by bigotry is a uniquely chilling act.
We call for a full hate crimes investigation into these killings. All Georgians deserve to live free of fear, and we faithfully stand by our Asian and Asian American community members in this deeply troubling time.”
Rev. Darryl Ford, Ikon Community Church (Decatur, Georgia)
“Our Asian and Asian American neighbors have been targeted, harassed and victimized by anti-Asian racism in this country for centuries, from gross abuses against Asian workers to the Chinese Exclusion Act to hate crimes today.
Committing to anti-racism should be the pursuit of every person regardless of race, religion or socio-economic status. This means that when people, including faith and government leaders, speak pejoratively about the Asian American community, we all speak up in defense of and solidarity with our Asian family.
Let’s do the work of loving our Asian and Asian American neighbors, which necessarily includes the work of anti-racism. Asian American community, we will stand with you. We will fight for you. We will learn from you. We will mourn with you. For life.”
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Faith in Public Life is a national movement of clergy and faith leaders united in the prophetic pursuit of justice, equality and the common good. Together, with a network of over 50,000 leaders, they are leading the fight to advance just policies at the state and federal level that affirms our values and the human dignity of all.