Standing in solidarity with our Asian American communities

Today, we mourn the loss of eight lives at the hands of another emboldened gunman. As we’ve seen throughout history, much of the brunt of these targeted, violent attacks falls onto BIPOC women. In this case, of the eight lives lost, six were Asian American women.

These actions are intolerable. We send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the victims.

Currently, there are mixed reports on the motivation of these heinous actions, but much of what we know suggests that the attacks were racially motivated. This extreme violence comes at a moment in our country when we have seen an increase in anti-Asian violence and rhetoric over the past year, much of it targeting Asian women. These acts of hate are not new—they are rooted in this country’s deep history of racism and misogyny.

We stand with our Asian American staff, AmeriCorps members, students, families and communities. We are holding you and your needs in this moment, and we recognize the fear and anger you are feeling.

At City Year, we honor the identities of all who are a part of our community. And we recognize that actions like these seek to create division in our communities. As an organization we will continue to strive towards anti-racism and create space for all who want to walk this journey alongside us.