As the sun set Friday evening over the Arizona Capitol Museum, candles glowed along the sidewalk while bright-colored signs called for an end to anti-Asian violence and white supremacy.
In the wake of the Atlanta, Georgia spa shootings that killed eight people, most of whom were women of Asian descent, Phoenix community activists quickly organized a candlelight vigil for Friday evening, drawing more than 100 supporters.
The Arizona Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander for Equity Coalition coordinated the event.
“The people of Arizona, we have a lot of heart,” said community organizer Leezah Sun, a recent former District 19 candidate for the Arizona House of Representatives. “It’s a question now to really unify. There’s strength in unity.”
The vigil included a moment of silence, music, speeches by local members of the Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, and a reading of the eight victims’ names: Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Delaina Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Yong Ae Yue, and Suncha Kim.
Learn more about anti-AAPI hate incidents and how to take action here.
Contact the reporter at gdelia1@asu.edu.
