COLUMBUS (WCMH) – Last week’s mass shootings in Atlanta, which killed eight people, including six Asian women, once again brought the rise of anti-Asian violence to the fore.
On Saturday, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther attended a rally around town to show his support and stand with them.
Two women, Linh Ta and Miki Gotoh, said they were disappointed to see that there were no events in central Ohio to stand up for those affected by the recent tragedy.
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“We’ve noticed it for the past 12 months,” Gotoh said. “Our whole life since childhood there has always been racism against Asians.”
So they made it their business to call on the city of Columbus to stand up and stop the Asian hatred in front of the bicentennial Scioto Mile park on Saturday morning.
Gotoh and Ta said there had been a lot of pain and grief, but what also became angry, they said, was the lack of events that took place for others to comfort them in a time of need.
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“There is a perception among people that Asians are very calm, we are the minority,” said Hong Qui. “Which is not very true. If you look around, there is a diverse group of people. “
One step the women wanted to see was for the entire community to contribute to being a voice for the voiceless: when you see something, say something.
“We’re not going to let that happen here,” Ta said. “We’re going to campaign for hatred in Columbus. We’re going to organize our allies and work with organizations and say, “No, that’s not going to happen here.”
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The organizers said they will hold more rallies and meetings in the future to address some of the discrimination that is occurring and how to move forward as a community.
