|
The violence perpetrated against the AAPI community, particularly toward our elders, is unconscionable. The absolute eradication of six Asian women this past week in Atlanta, GA is shocking and unbearable. There is so much pain, grief and fear in our community. But we must speak out.
Elders like Pak Ho, Vicha Ratanapakdee, and Noel Quintana are our grandfathers and grandmothers. Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jun Kim Grant, Sun Cha Kim, Yong Ae Yue, Xiaojie “Emily” Tan, and Daoyaou Feng are our mothers and aunties.
The racialized verbal and physical harassment, weaponized against the Asian community during the pandemic for political gain, makes these deaths feel inevitable. We have already been crying out for help. Only when we are slaughtered are our cries acknowledged.
We call for a reckoning with the legacy of anti-Asian violence and pain that we have inherited. We must acknowledge that white supremacy is a driving force in American history, policies, and systems, which includes our own artistic industry. As long as oppressive systems are upheld, the suffering in our community will deepen. Healing can happen only when the threads of our liberation are intertwined with those of our siblings in global-majority communities living and surviving in the United States.
The fight for racial justice that was sparked last summer with Black Lives Matter continues on and we, as part of the BIPOC community, need to be steadfast in standing together to fight white supremacy. Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company will persevere in our vision to illuminate the Asian American experience as part of the human experience. As a collective of artists, we are committed to advancing and creating work that is intrinsic to the cultural fabric in America.
Together, we will overcome this hate.
With resilience,
Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company
Rinabeth Apostol
Leon Geortzen
May Liang
Jeffrey Lo
Sunshine Lampitoc Smith
Annie Jin Wang
Cindy Cesca Yoshiyama
Ogie Zulueta
|
