Hi, John.

It’s been a little over a week since the horrific mass shooting in Atlanta, Georgia.

Last week’s tragedy is just the most recent amidst a dramatic rise in reported cases of anti-Asian racism, in particular targeting Asian women. In major cities across the country, anti-Asian hate crimes have spiked by 150% over the past year. And this is all happening in the midst of global public health and economic crises in which AAPI, Black, Latinx, and Indigenous working women are facing devastating conditions and impossible choices.

Today, as we continue to grieve the loss of Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, and Yong Yue, may we also allow this moment to galvanize us all to say, “Enough.”

This could be another moment, another incident, or it could grow a movement. Long standing narratives in our nation defining whose life has value and who does not, are deeply rooted in white supremacy and misogyny. Narratives take lives, they shape our economic realities, our health and our safety. They allow for the work and contributions of Asian and other women of color to be perpetually devalued. If we accept that women of color are less valuable or more disposable, we also accept violence against them.

As a Chinese American woman who has organized domestic workers for over 20 years, I have witnessed first-hand just how deeply rooted the subjugation of women of color is. The unfair and often unsafe workplace conditions for this workforce — nearly 2.5 million women, mostly women of color and immigrant — exist not by happenstance, but by design.

I have also witnessed firsthand just how powerful we Asian women and other women of color are. Time and time again, we hold personal and collective pain while we navigate a society that consistently throws obstacles in our path. So, in this moment of grief, we can also lift up the leadership of the Asian women who continue to work to address racial and gender-based violence and injustice in our communities. Our leadership is needed in this country and should be supported.

A nation where Asian women — and Black, Latinx, and Indigenous women — are safe and valued in their homes, at work and on the streets, is only possible if we commit to building it. There is much work to be done, and we all have a part to play in making this a reality — here are a few things you can do today to take action during this crisis.

1. Sign on to the Asian Americans Advancing Justice collective community statement

2. Donate to support the victims and their families and to support crisis intervention

3. Share crisis response resources

Together, we can fight against racist and gendered violence, and we can build a society that cares for all of us.

Thanks for all that you do,

Ai-jen Poo
Executive Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance