by Lisa Lim, a comic about the Atlanta Spa shootings leaving 8 people dead
#StopAsianHate Stop AAPI Hate
I woke up to the headlines, “8 people killed in Atlanta-area spa shootings. 6 of the victims were Asian.” I just wanted to scream. I just wanted to say, fuck his sex addiction. He’s a fuckn killer. I just wanted to erase all the hateful rhetoric that’s been breeding like cockroaches on social. I just wanted to say make it stop! I wanted to scream stop killing my people! Stop hating! Stop hurting us!
The tragic news of Asian hate crimes continues to rise, but the news on March 16 hit a new chord in so many of us. And it didn’t go away. I can’t even articulate what I’m feeling. I can just say I feel rage. I feel sad. I feel helpless. I feel tired feeling fear.
Every image of an Asian elderly. Bruised. Bloodied. Bones broken. Breaks my heart. I keep thinking it could have been my Mom or Dad. My family. My friends.
In recent weeks, my Mom had to be admitted to the hospital. Her body was failing her. Her MS progressing to irreparable states. Yet, I found myself more worried about my father’s safety visiting my Mom in the hospital. Because at least I knew my Mom was safe and being taken care of by healthcare professionals. My father had to travel back and forth on the subway from Queens to NYU hospital to get to her. And that left him vulnerable to Anti-Asian attacks. To prevent this from happening, my brother drove him back and forth, and we got him Lyfts when my brother couldn’t drive. I was enraged that I had to feel this fear for my father when I should have been focused on my Mom’s health. But that’s the sad reality these days.
I sigh and scream all in one breath.
