NORFOLK, Va. — It’s a movement hard to miss on social media.
Celebrities, companies, and more are posting messages of support for the Asian American community, “#stopasianhate” or “stopAAPIhate” in response to the recent deadly shootings in Atlanta.
Eight women across several Atlanta-area spas were shot and killed this week by gunman Robert Aaron Long, who police say admitted to the killings but said the attacks were not racially motivated. Six of the eight women were of Asian descent.
Calls for racial justice are now rising from growing fears of hate crimes against the Asian American community.
On Thursday, President Joe Biden ordered the American flag be flown at half staff to honor the lives of the victims in Atlanta.
“It’s not just about Atlanta, New York, or California. It’s about everywhere and we need to be aware of it,” said Dr. Qiu Hailstork, an Asian Studies professor at Old Dominion University.
Dr. Hailstork said that language barriers among the Asian American community often contribute to many not sharing their experiences of discrimination or hate.
“This issue was largely ignored by larger society because Asian Americans tend to work hard and not complain," Dr. Hailstork said.
The conversation is an important one, no matter where you are according to Petula Moy, founder of the Asian American Alliance, a Virginia Beach-based diversity organization.
“Frustrated and sad, but also really angry at the same time," Moy told 13News Now.
Moy, who began the Asian American Alliance around the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, said the pandemic highlighted the stereotypes that still exist against the community.
“We are citizens, we are Americans, this is my hometown. But often the first stereotype is, 'Why don’t you go back to your country?'”
The Asian Business Association of Hampton Roads told 13News Now in a statement:
All hate crime is loathsome and the consequences of such actions on families and loves ones are unfathomable.