Groups plan vigil at county offices for Atlanta shooting victims
SANTA CRUZ >> The Asian-American and Pacific Islander community in Santa Cruz is standing in solidarity at the County Offices on Saturday.
The Asian-American and Pacific Islander community in Santa Cruz will host a peaceful candlelight vigil in the wake of the shootings at three spas in Atlanta, which killed eight people. Six of the eight people killed were Asian-American woman, which raised concerns over the possibility of a racial motive. Prosecutors have yet to label the attack as such.
“We’re hoping to remember and to honor the lives of the victims of the Atlanta shootings and also the Asian elders that have been killed in the past,” said Stephani Cheung, a host for the event. “There are Asian-Americans in Santa Cruz and we want people to see and support us. We are living with a lot of fear with anti-Asian rhetoric.”
Saturday’s vigil will be an opportunity for the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community of Santa Cruz. It will be hosted by two groups, Asian-Americans in Santa Cruz and the San Lorenzo Valley Coalition Against Racism. The two groups plan to hold the vigil for about an hour, starting at 3 p.m. at the county offices, 701 Ocean St.
Time to honor
The vigil will be a time to honor the victims of last week’s attacks, but also a time for the community to express its own experiences and share stories. It serves as a place for community members to share expressions of grief, honor or pride, Cheung said. People are also encouraged to offer flowers, candles or other artistic expressions.
While the vigil is a “place created by and for AAPI folks,” as Cheung said, it’s not an exclusive event. The Asian-American and Pacific Islander community wants everyone who can to come to attend, listen and learn about Asian-American history and struggles in Santa Cruz County.
The two groups plan to highlight the history of Chinese culture in Santa Cruz county, something that has dwindled over the last 100 years.
“I think we’ve all forgotten it,” Cheung said. “Can we center that again?”
Santa Cruz has a long history of Chinese heritage and multiple Chinatowns, according to the santacruz.org. Fires and earthquakes drove Chinese residents away from Santa Cruz around the turn of the 20th century.
However, a small semblance of the historic Birkenseer’s Chinatown remained in Santa Cruz in the mid-1950s. The Christmas Flood of 1955 washed away what was left of the last remaining Chinatown in Santa Cruz, according to the website.
Marking local history
The two groups also plan to further honor the history of Santa Cruz with respect to its original settlers.
“We’re also going to have native land acknowledgement because we’re are on the land of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band,” Cheung said.
After the vigil, members of the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community, as well as the Santa Cruz community atlarge, will be given an opportunity to stand in solidarity with each other. In Cheung’s eyes, it’s not just an opportunity for Asian-Americans in Santa Cruz county to come together, but an opportunity for all people of color and marginalized groups to stand strong in the face of hate.
That is why she is excited to be working with City Council to help the city take steps toward mitigating hate among marginalized groups. Most recently, the council discussed denouncing Asian-American hate, but chose to hold off until they could receive input from the Asian-American community within the county.
“I was grateful to receive an invitation to see the draft of what they’re working on,” Cheung said. “I’m curious and looking forward to contributing some of my feedback.”
Cheung hopes the input from the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community can help create a culture that makes all people of color safe within
intervention training, an idea that can be offered to all businesses and community members to change the culture of thought around other members within the community.
This sort of training would teach workers, or even community members, tools they can use to stand up to instances of hate or aggression they see happening to themselves or others.
“Everyone is empowered to do something or say something in their own capacities,” Cheung said. “To be a good neighbor is to be able help out when something bad is happening.”