People gathered for an event in Wednesday in San Francisco to denounce the violence against the Asian American community called "Justice for Asian Women."
One year after a hate-fueled mass shooting in Atlanta, people of all races came together to denounce the crime and honor the six Asian women specifically targeted by the gunman.
“In these women, we could see our own mothers, our own grandmothers. The struggle for the American dream and I think that moment made us all really reflect on what it is to be Asian American,” said Wendy Nguyen with group "Stand with Asian Americans."
Similar "Justice for Asian Women" events were held in 11 different U.S. cities and online.
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“Today is about Asian women being able to take up space, being able to tell our stories and honoring the individuals,” said Nguyen.
A wave of hate incidents they said it keeps rising.
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Organizers said the event had a resource fair, a panel of speakers, activists, a self-defense class, a group healing session and more. The goal is to create a space for survivors to feel heard and empowered.
“We want to break the silence by speaking and talking about how we feel trauma, emotions or frustrations. Yet celebrate how strong we are. How resilient we are. We will keep on rising,” said Zeien Cheung with group "Asians Are Strong."
For many, the attacks became a new call to action and a chance to shine a light on decades of hate fueled abuse.
“On the streets, we’re asking for better policies to protect the community as we see the elderly get targeted,” said Nguyen.
They’re taking another step finding strength to move forward together.
