Sierra Club Statement on the Racially Targeted Murders in Georgia

Atlanta, GA -- Yesterday, eight people were murdered and one injured at three spas in the greater Atlanta area. Six of those killed were Asian women. Last night’s mass shooting follows a disturbing increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans: Since the beginning of this pandemic, there have been nearly 3,800 reported incidents of anti-Asian hate across the United States.

In response, Georgia Sierra Club Chapter Director Jessica Morehead and Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:

“We grieve with our families, friends, and communities who lost loved ones last night as a result of a violent attack rooted in white supremacy and misogyny. This pandemic has taken more than 536,000 of our loved ones, and it has laid bare the inequality that has been deeply rooted in our system for centuries. This horrifying occurrence exemplifies the immeasurable trauma felt by our Asian-American family, friends, and neighbors, who have been racially scapegoated for causing the pandemic, stoking violence and further stripping away the ability to feel safe.

“We will not tolerate anti-Asian hate and violence. Every single one of us -- from our fellow community members to elected officials -- must join together and forcefully denounce it. The pursuits of racial justice and environmental justice are inextricable; we cannot achieve one without the other. The solution is not to further criminalize or police communities of color and immigrant communities, but to invest in transformative justice and cross-racial community building that address the root causes of hate and white supremacy. Whatever our race, our gender, our background, our zip code, we each must be able to exist without fearing for our lives or the lives of our loved ones.”