Remembering the Atlanta Shootings

The Duke community will come together in remembrance of the victims of the Atlanta
Salon Shootings on March 16—exactly one year after the attack. Last March, a series of three
Atlanta-area shootings claimed the lives of eight people—six of whom were Asian women. Both
Duke’s Asian American and Diaspora Studies Program and the Center for Multicultural Affairs
will host events to honor the victims of the shootings and process the horrifying attack. AADS
will host a “Brown Bag Conversation” led by Dr. Anna Storti to facilitate discussion within the
Duke community regarding the shooting, and the CMA will host a community vigil space to
honor the lives of the victims.

The country witnessed this act of violence amidst the backdrop of increased hate crimes
against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Misinformation fueled hatred anti-
Asian racism following the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020. Incidents of Anti-Asian violence and
harassment have shaken the AAPI community, and women of Asian descent have been
disproportionately harmed. Atlanta’s attack epitomized the fatal repercussions of this hatred.
AADS’ Brown Bag event is co-sponsored by the Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies
Program, and Dr. Storti will be joined by Kate D’Adamo, Dr. Vernadette Gonzalez, and Dr. Helen
Jin Kim. Together, the speakers will confront the historical patterns that have harmed Asian
women and dehumanized Asian people.

The names of the lives claimed during this tragedy are Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung
Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Ae Yue, Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, and
Daoyou Feng. Please join the AADS, the CMA, and the Duke community as we honor their
memories and process the epidemic of violence against Asian, Asian American, and Pacific
Islander communities.

AADS’ Brown Bag event will occur virtually from 3-4 PM on March 16. CMA’s community
vigil space will occur both virtually and in-person at the Abele Quad from 6-7 PM on March 16
and at the Decompression Space in the CMA Back Patio after 7:15

Written by Sanjit Beriwal