We are shocked, saddened, and horrified that mass murders have taken place in the last week in both Atlanta and Boulder. We don’t know the motive of the killer in Boulder, but of the eight people murdered in Atlanta, six were Asian women who were targeted as a result of a toxic culture that condones misogynistic violence and xenophobia. We have been angered and upset to hear constant news of attacks on Asian Americans and rising anti-Asian rhetoric. As an organization, we respond by saying that we denounce all racism including that toward our neighbors, friends, family members, and colleagues who are of Asian descent. We refuse to become numb to violence and hate. We are devastated that the racism we need to rid ourselves of to become a good and just society is causing so much violence, pain, fear, and grief. We recognize that deep-seated biases stem from our nation’s history and actions that are rooted in white supremacy, and that inflict ongoing pain to our community.

It is too easy to write a statement like this and then do nothing. We hope to at least open a door to our own education, because present violent acts are connected to a vast history of dehumanizing ideas. Film and other media have, sadly, contributed to racist anti-Asian stereotypes (for some examples see this post from Diet Prada with films including Full Metal Jacket and Mean Girls). Tacoma and Washington State have a terrible history of anti-Asian repression, violence, and expulsion. We are looking to writing and film to learn what has gone wrong, discussing these events on staff, and trying to move forward with a better understanding of The Grand’s part in working toward a just society.

We are turning to resources like the below to recall history, better understand the current heightened climate of hate, and take action: