Hundreds gathered in cities across the U.S. on Saturday, including Atlanta, Georgia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to protest mounting violence against Asian-Americans in the past year, sparked by the recent shootings at day spas in Atlanta that left eight dead, including six Asian women.
Jayson Albano reports.
From California to New York, demonstrators around the U.S. continued to rally on Saturday in support of the Asian-American community.
It comes in the wake of a shooting rampage at three day spas in Atlanta, Georgia that left eight dead, including six Asian women.
In Atlanta, hundreds gathered outside the Georgia State Capitol building.
Many Asian Americans present said that crimes against them were not being taken seriously.
"Even if I am Asian, I am also American.
And in my personal experience I always feel invisible." Democratic Georgia State representative Bee Nguyen declared it an attack on the Asian community.
"We have lived in the shadows, invisible, overlooked and and relegated as second-class citizens.
And now, in the wake of a violent and brutal shooting, white America is still trying to deny our humanity and existence." Georgia's newly-elected senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock also appeared before the crowd.
"I'm not interested in whether or not he had a bad day.
Talking about a bad day." CBS News reported that hundreds of protesters also marched through Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Award-winning actress Sandra Oh made a surprise appearance at that rally.
"Everyone here, I will offer, I will challenge everyone here, if you see something, will you help me?" This week's killings follows mounting violence against Asian-Americans in the past year.
Community leaders say that's owing to Asian-Americans being blamed for the global health crisis.
After the attacks in Atlanta, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long was charged with eight counts of homicide.
He said that racial bias was not his motivation, while authorities stressed that they have not ruled out charging him with hate crimes.
It comes after a recent mass shooting spree at Asian-owned spas in the state of Georgia.
