In Solidarity with the Asian & Pacific Islander Community

cw: anti-Asian hate, API erasure, misogyny

On Tuesday, a white supremacist murdered Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Soon C. Park, Hyun J. Grant, Suncha Kim, and Yong A. Yue. Six of the victims were Asian women. 

This violence is not new and is part of a larger history of racial and gendered violence against Asians in the United States — a history that has largely been omitted from media coverage, textbooks, and anti-racism dialogue for decades. 

To our Asian/Pacific Islander (API) teachers, arts partners, teaching artists, parents, administrators and students: we see you, we are here, we care, and we are going to do better. Chicago’s Asian community cannot and will not be erased, and we are working to identify and address API erasure within our organization and within our field, and the role we play in fighting against anti-Asian hate in our city.

We know this is only the beginning. Right now, we stand with you in solidarity, and we hold you and your families in our hearts as we mourn this tragedy.

— Ingenuity

Non-API readers: If you are able, we encourage you to join Ingenuity staff in supporting local Asian and Asian American organizations. You can find a list of Chicago-based API organizations here.