Stacey Abrams, John Legend & More Speak Out Against Anti-Asian Violence
By Peyton Blakemore
March 17, 2021
Celebrities and political figures are standing in solidarity with Asian Americans following a deadly shooting in Atlanta.
John Legend, Common, Stacey Abrams, Kim Kardashian, and LeBron James are among many public figures who are sharing the hashtags #StopAsianHate and #StopAAPIHate after eight people, many of them of Asian descent, were killed in a series of shootings that took place at massage parlors in the Atlanta area on Tuesday (March 16).
According to multiple outlets, Robert Aaron Long, a 21-year-old white male suspect, has been charged with at least four counts of murder and one count of assault. While Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds said during a press conference on Wednesday (March 17) that when officials interviewed the suspect he claimed the attacks were not racially motivated, the shooting comes amid a surge in anti-Asian violence and hate crimes nationwide.
The shooting prompted a number of celebrities and political figures to condemn the killings and speak out against Anti-Asian violence. See their tweets below.
Our hearts are with the families of the AAPI women slain yesterday. Hatred is infectious and cumulative - it begins w pejoratives about race and evolves into acts of unspeakable violence. We must do more than condemn. Our responsibility is to protect and defend. By word and deed.
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) March 17, 2021
Last night was an act of pure racist hatred. This is very personal to me as a mom of a child who is both Black & Asian. But it shouldn’t have to be personal to know its wrong. Speak up. Hashtags are nice but actions save lives. Standing w/ the AAPI community. #StopAsianHate pic.twitter.com/Rtx1b2AZW9
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) March 17, 2021
How much longer are we going to tolerate, a word I never use, this madness of hate to continue!? #StopAsianHate
— Dionne Warwick (@dionnewarwick) March 17, 2021
It breaks my heart seeing all of these devastating stories of the violent cases towards Asians that happens everyday, particularly the elderly. Asians are human and deserve to be treated as such!!! #StopAsianHate pic.twitter.com/IwYmnAvguP
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) March 17, 2021
#StopAsianHate: An attack on one community is an attack on all of us. We're Stronger Together.
— COMMON (@common) March 17, 2021
I’m angry. This is terrorism. This is a hate crime. Stop killing us. #StopAsianHate pic.twitter.com/rZghXp4nOQ
— Margaret Cho (@margaretcho) March 17, 2021
This is deeply, deeply sad.
— Padma Lakshmi (@PadmaLakshmi) March 17, 2021
Trump on Fox *tonight* referred to COVID using the racist slur "China virus."
He previously called it the "Kung Flu."
While he continues to spread hatred against Asian Americans, people like this shooter are listening.https://t.co/bBAkzQl3R1
This is horrible. And completely out of control. It has been since this anti-Asian violence began. I am so sorry for these lives lost and so many communities living in fear. https://t.co/yfyZxhPgZx
— roxane gay (@rgay) March 17, 2021
The violent attacks and murders against Asians are still happening.
— o l i v i a (@oliviamunn) March 17, 2021
Please help us.
We need help to be safe in our country.#StopAsianHate. Please. pic.twitter.com/NJ3knm1hlo
My heart goes out to the families and communities of the eight people murdered at metro-Atlanta spas. I am deeply saddened that we live in a nation and world permeated by hate and violence. I stand with Asian members of our World House, who are a part of our global human family.
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) March 17, 2021
listen to him. don’t be surprised by the acts of racist violence against asian people when this is the propaganda being fed directly to unhinged and tragically unstable white supremacists. standing with racialized communities means acknowledging imperialism exists + fighting it! https://t.co/ZMNFDCAACW
— 🌱 (@noname) March 17, 2021
Sending immense love to the families and communities of the AAPI women whose lives were taken yesterday. @staceyabrams said it well. It is our responsibility to protect and defend, by word and by deed.
— Dianna Agron (@DiannaAgron) March 17, 2021
8 lives were violently stolen. We stand in solidarity & deep compassion w/ our AAPI family in Georgia & across the country.
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) March 17, 2021
Racism, misogyny, & white supremacy are a threat to all of our communities, and we must call out the targeted, violent attacks on our AAPI neighbors.
The attack in Georgia and the racist attacks that have been happening all across our country are abhorrent. Our hearts are with the families of all the victims of this horrific act and the entire AAPI community tonight. #StopAAPIHate
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) March 17, 2021
Hate speech leads to violence.
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) March 17, 2021
I stand with the AAPI community. 💔#StopAsianHate
Our hearts are broken over the senseless shootings in Atlanta. We pray for the victims and their families and stand in solidarity with the AAPI community - the rise in hatred and violence is unacceptable and we must #StopAAPIHate !
— Jaime Harrison, DNC Chair (@harrisonjaime) March 17, 2021
My heart breaks to see this tragic news. AAPI Americans are once again being targeted, harassed, attacked, and killed in Georgia and communities across America.
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) March 17, 2021
We must do everything we can to end this violence while organizing together against hate, gun violence, and bigotry. https://t.co/Oy4AYkR08L
Dismantling racist, anti-Asian violence means standing up to white supremacy - the same ideology that asks us to empathize with those who commit racist violence rather than the families destroyed and communities targeted by it.#StopAsianHate
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 17, 2021
White supremacist classist patriarchy is dangerous because it insists on dominance. It leads white men to think we all have to pay for their “bad day.”
— brittany packnett cunningham has 3 names. (@MsPackyetti) March 17, 2021
Because apparently the racist, misogynistic fetishization and abuse of Asian women is just a white dude having a “bad day.”
— Darren Criss (@DarrenCriss) March 17, 2021
I’m outraged by last night’s murders in Atlanta. Over the last year, racist violence against Asian Americans has increased sharply, and women have borne the brunt. This must end now.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) March 17, 2021
We must stop violence & hate against our Asian brothers and sisters. You can take these virtual bystander intervention trainings & learn ways to intervene effectively without compromising safety. New sessions added Mar 29 + Apr 20. Click below to register. https://t.co/C8gAhUjRuw
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) March 17, 2021
#StopAsianHate pic.twitter.com/VnEPzFIR3J
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) March 17, 2021
My condolences goes out to the families of all the victims and the entire Asian community tonight on what transpired in Atlanta at the Aromatherapy Spa. Coward a** young man!! Just senseless and tragic!! 🙏🏾❤️👑
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 17, 2021
— Lana Condor (@lanacondor) March 17, 2021