Below is a statement of Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation:
“The Feminist Majority Foundation is horrified and outraged at the shootings in the Atlanta-area last night, which killed eight people, most of them Asian women. Among them were 33-year-old Delaina Ashley Yaun, of Acworth, 54-year-old Paul Andre Michels, of Atlanta, 49-year-old Xiaojie Tan, of Kennesaw, 44-year-old Daoyou Feng, and Elcias R. Hernandez-Ortiz, 30, of Acworth who was injured.
We mourn the losses of all of the victims and stand in solidarity with the Asian American community. Like most violence, anti-Asian violence disproportionately impacts women, especially low-income women.
Last night’s violence comes after a year of anti-Asian hate– there have been nearly 3,800 reports of anti-Asian hate incidents in the US since March 2020, mostly against women. At the root of the murder of eight people in Georgia are white supremacy, misogyny, classism, and xenophobia. We must dismantle these structures and protect Asian American people, especially Asian women. We mourn the victims of this tragic shooting and will continue to fight against injustice and violence in the US.
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