There are no words to convey the grief and outrage that we at Target Margin feel at this recent wave of attacks against Asian-Americans. As a theater located in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, one of the most densely populated Asian immigrant neighborhoods in New York City, we have a responsibility to stand in solidarity with our Asian community members and cannot stay silent. WE MUST ACT!
What happened on March 16th was a HATE CRIME.
What happened last week in our very city was a HATE CRIME.
From the onset of the pandemic, TMT Asian-American community members including Jimmy Li, Mon Yuck Yu, and many others, have spoken out to raise awareness about the increased anti-Asian hate crimes and violence. For the next year, we watched as anti-Asian rhetoric fueled a rise in hate crimes against Asian-Americans. It is no surprise that these reports would escalate into the terrible tragedy in Atlanta on March 16th that took the lives of eight people.
The Atlanta shooting isn’t an isolated incident. The lid has come off, exposing a seething sinkhole of racism in America. These attacks are cowardly, hateful, and devastating for people who already feel continually marginalized and othered.
What can we do about this?
How do we change?
The violence against Asian-Americans has to stop. The violence against Black people has to stop. We must work in concert to end systemic racism and heal the devastating legacy of generations of trauma.
Look out for your Asian-American friends. Learn about Asian-American history. We are all in this together.
Your friends at Target Margin,
David, Moe, Victoria, Matt, Sarah
We’ll be amplifying some local actions in the next weeks. But we have put a few links on this living page as a start.