VAALA STATEMENT ON THE ATLANTA MASSACRE AND ANTI-ASIAN VIOLENCE

VAALA grieves the killing of eight people in the Atlanta area on March 16, 2021, including six Asian American women. As an organization led primarily by Vietnamese women, we are exhausted and outraged. We stand in solidarity with social justice organizations working to Stop Asian Hate and to address the systemic racism, misogyny and violence in this country.

We collectively acknowledge the harm being enacted on Asian communities. This has resulted in anxiety and fear in the aftermath of more than 3800 reported hate crimes targeting Asian Americans since March 2020.

We encourage you to take the time to process your feelings and take care of your physical, mental, and emotional health. Make space for sharing compassion and conversations with others, and seek advice, counseling, help, and support from trusted community resources.

We reject the idea of relying on law enforcement and the police as the solution. Instead, we advocate for directing resources toward education, mental health and wellness services for our most impacted communities.

We commit to expanding our knowledge of the long history of anti-Asian violence in the U.S and the violence enacted by the U.S. globally.

We seek to understand and address connections between race, class, and gender-based violence directed at our Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities.

We believe in the arts as a pathway for healing and disrupting the oppressive culture of white supremacy and racism. The power of the arts is in its ability to educate, connect, inspire, and promote deeper understanding of our identities and stories.

“Bẻ đũa không bẻ được cả nắm” – (Vietnamese proverb)

You can break one chopstick, but you can’t break a bundle.

In community and solidarity,

Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA)

Yvonne Tran, Board President

Julie Vo, Board Vice President

Thuy Vo Dang, PhD, Board Secretary

Thao Ha, PhD, Board Treasurer

Tu-Uyen Nguyen, PhD, Board Member

Matthew Diep, Board Member

Ysa Le, Executive Director

Christine Tran, Managing Director