COLUMBIA, S.C. — After a nationwide surge in hate crimes against Asians over the last year, including a recent mass shooting in Atlanta, people across the nation want to know what's being done in SC to combat hate against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) population.
“Right now we have a lot of social issues in our community that – who are we to ignore it?" says Merrell Johnson, team member of Empower SC, a group working to make SC more equitable for all people.
On March 16, eight people lost their lives when a gunman walked into three different spas in metro Atlanta. Six of whom were Asian women.
While police still haven’t settled on a motive, many Asians have said it’s left them feeling as if they’re under attack.
“I think this has pulled back the curtain on another level of institutional racism that many people have not thought about," Johnson says.
“We recognize that our community is comprised of people from all walks of life whether that be your social status, the class you grew up in, your race, your nationality, and that has been the very core of what we have been asking for and what we have been seeking," Johnson continues.
Along with empowering individuals in these communities and reaching for equity- EmpowerSC is encouraging those touched by Atlanta’s events to take action.
"We know that currently right now in the State House there is a Hate Crime Bill and we’re encouraging people to call their legislators and tell them ‘hey, please support this hate crime bill.’”
The South Carolina Commission on Minority Affairs is also having an advisory committee meeting Thursday on the AAPI community with topics like Racism and Discrimination due to COVID19 and a call for an AAPI Heritage Month on the agenda.
