A Call to Prayer for the API Community

On March 16th there was a series of mass shootings in three different Spas in Atlanta, Georgia done by one man alone. This mass shooting took 8 lives, which according to USA Today,  “Six of the women were of Asian descent, including four who were Korean”. This tragic event was allegedly fueled by violence and racism against the Asian and Pacific Islander community. 

In response to this tragedy against the Asian and Pacific Islander Community (API),  the Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Team made a call to prayer. The prayer was said to be for “comfort, for peace, for justice, and for changed hearts and minds”. The first call to prayer took place on Tuesday, March 23, in which they wanted to invoke a further call to action against racial injustice. 

There was a call to action from the leaders, where they ask the community to pause for a time to be focussed on prayer on Tuesday, March 23, at 1:55 PDT/4:55 EDT. Students and staff were welcomed to gather via webcam, submit a written prayer, and through a phone call to bring in a sense of unity against the tragedy. 

To further the conversation, join the Asian and Pacific Islander club will be having a Lunch-In event on April 15th to invoke a healthy dialogue about violence against the Asian community. 

The victim’s Name and Age:  

• Soon Chung Park, age 74
• Hyun Jung Grant, age 51
• Suncha Kim, age 69
• Yong Yue, age 63
• Delaina Ashley Yaun, age 33
• Paul Andre Michels, age 54
• Xiaojie Tan, age 49
• Daoyou Feng, age 44

Source: The Guardian