April 15, 2022
Time for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities to reflect and heal
On this day last year, eight Americans were killed in a senseless mass shooting in a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Indiana. Together we remember them: Amarjeet Kaur Johal, Amarjit Sekhon, Jasvinder Kaur, Jaswinder Singh, Matthew Alexander, Samaria Blackwell, John Weisert, and Karli Smith. Of the eight, four were Sikh Americans and members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
Today is a day of healing, remembrance, and reflection for all victims of hate and mass violence. We urge you to join us and the Sikh community in simran (meditation) and seva (selfless service) as a form of acceptance and path towards healing.
Over the past few years, South Asians, including Sikh Americans, and AAPI communities in general, have experienced a record surge in acts of hate and bias. These recent acts, the incidents seared into our memories over the past forty years, from the murder of Vincent Chin to the mass shooting at Oak Creek, and the countless daily incidents that go unrecorded have left an indelible impression on our communities that will stay with us for years to come. We will use these memories as motivation to create a just world, free of hate and discrimination, where all are supported.
As organizations, we stand committed to taking action against hate, organizing our communities, and supporting victims and their families. We believe that all levels of government must invest in the impacted communities and take steps to prevent further tragedies across the country. We believe that the government has a duty to make its services culturally and linguistically accessible to all communities. We believe that our leaders must take action to end hate, misogyny, and white supremacy. We believe that impacted, immigrant, and minority communities must be treated as equal partners to improve society.
Today, we will honor the victims, assist their families, and continue and recommit to our vow to provide care for all communities on this anniversary. Tomorrow, we will continue to tell our stories and create change for a better future. We welcome you to join us.
We encourage any member of the Sikh community who has experienced hate to report the incident at stopaapihate.org/reportincident/ and at saldef.org/contact/