in the news

'Just the beginning of a conversation' | Where to catch this AAPI art installation

May 13, 2023 | Gabrielle Nunez

As Georgia's Asian American community is exploding with growth, people can familiarize themselves with icons and changemakers they hold dear by visiting two iconic venues in metro Atlanta.

Georgia's new AAPI caucus is one of the largest in the country

December 12, 2022 | Kristal Dixon

When Georgia's General Assembly convenes in January for the 2023 legislative session, its first Asian American Pacific Islander caucus — one of the largest in the country — will get to work on tackling issues for a community that, until recent years, was long ignored by politicians.

Georgia’s new AAPI, Hispanic caucuses hope to harness political power for their communities

December 12, 2022 | Riley Bunch

Georgia's upcoming legislative session will be marked by new leadership in both chambers and an increasingly diverse incoming class of freshman lawmakers.

The overlooked constituency both parties are now targeting in the Georgia runoff

November 28, 2022 | Holly Otterbein and Madison Fernandez

The Georgia-based nonprofit Asian American Advocacy Fund is planning to make at least 250,000 calls to Asian American voters and knock on 70,000 doors during the runoff. And Warnock has been running advertisements in Vietnamese, Korean, Mandarin and other Asian languages.

Grassroots organization pushes for more Asian voter engagement

October 27, 2022 | Karys Belger

With less than two weeks before the general election on Nov. 8, Aisha Yaqoob Mahmood and her staff at the Asian American Advocacy Fund have been hyper-focused on engaging voters across Georgia.

THE VARIETY OF VOTER GROUPS HAVE GROWN IN GEORGIA, REflecting an increasingly diverse electorate

September 15, 2022 | Stanley Dunlap

Voting advocacy groups in Georgia are working to mobilize a disengaged and diverse group of voters for the upcoming midterm elections that will determine not just leadership of the state government but could also once again decide control in Congress.

In battleground Georgia, new voters on the rise before ‘22 election

Sept. 1, 2022 | Mark Niesse

Georgia has changed ahead of this year’s elections: Over 1.6 million new voters over the past four years, representing more than one-fifth of all registered voters. A growing and more diverse electorate.

AAPI heroes the focus of new a coloring book, art installation and documentary

May 18, 2022 | LaShawn Hudson

Kavi Vu, an artist, community organizer and leader of the AAPI Heritage Month Celebration, says the goal of the ABC’s of AAPIs Coloring Book is to advance the representation of the Asian American community.

Local advocacy group pushes for more voter engagement from Georgia's AAPI population

May 14, 2022 | Karys Belger

Local advocacy groups are working to engage their communities in smaller races happening across the state. The Asian American Advocacy Fund is one of them.

Extending a ladder of opportunity to immigrant students

Feb 27, 2022 | Aisha Yaqoob Mahmood

Society teaches us that education is the most powerful tool in providing people with the knowledge to better their lives. What if barrier upon barrier were put in front of this ladder of opportunity? This is the reality of many immigrant students who seek higher education.

Georgia voting rights groups boycott Biden's Atlanta speech: 'We don't need even more photo ops. We need action'

Jan 11, 2022 | Nicole Chavez

A coalition of voting rights groups in Georgia announced Monday that they will not attend events surrounding President Joe Biden's expected visit to Atlanta, urging for concrete action instead of what they called a "photo op."

Don’t come to Atlanta without a plan to pass voting laws, groups tell Biden, Harris

Jan 6, 2022 | Tia Mitchell

A coalition of Georgia voting rights groups says President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris should skip traveling to Atlanta next week unless they come with a concrete plan to pass federal voting laws immediately.

Our Community, Our Lines — Growing Asian American Population Should Play A Role in Georgia’s Redistricting Process

September 8, 2021 | Hiba Rizvi

According to new federal census data, the nation’s demography has drastically changed this past decade, and Georgia is more diverse now than ever before. Georgia’s Black population increased by 13 percent, the Latinx population increased by 34 percent, and the Asian population increased by a whopping 53 percent.

Coalition pushes licenses for unauthorized immigrants in Georgia

August 23, 2021 | Lautaro Grinspan

It takes just 15 minutes for an agricultural worker based in Hall County to drive from her home to her work site, and another 115 minutes to make the trip back. It’s a commute that, by her own account, represents the most anxiety-filled part of her day.

The Jolt: Ga. progressives slam Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux on budget: #ComeOnCarolyn

August 23, 2021 | Patricia Murphy, Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell

When U.S. Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux flipped her Gwinnett-based seat in 2020, her victory was one of the few bright spots in a punishing election for House Democrats, who ended the cycle just a four seats away from losing control of the chamber.

2020 Census: Georgia’s minority populations have surged

August 12, 2021 | Jeremy Redmon, Paradise Afshar, Lautaro Grinspan

Georgia grew substantially more diverse over the last 10 years as its Black, Hispanic and Asian populations surged and as its number of white residents dropped slightly, according to new 2020 U.S. Census data released Thursday.

Vice President Harris releases statement on voting rights following Atlanta visit

June 19, 2021 | Fox 5 Atlanta Digital Team

ATLANTA - Vice President Kamala Harris met with community leaders at Clark Atlanta to talk about voting rights during her visit on June 18, 2021.

VP Harris holds third event this week on protecting voting rights

June 18, 2021 | NBC Universal

Texas State Rep. Jessica González, who met VP Harris and Sen. Manchin in DC, said Texas Democrats expressed the need for urgent federal action on voting rights to protect against the “coordinated” attack on democracy by Republicans. Aisha Yaqoob Mahmood said voting rights advocate told VP Harris during her visit to Georgia that “time is of the essence” but adds that Georgia voters are “ready for the fight."

Georgians Voice Concerns During First Redistricting Town Hall

June 16, 2021 | Sherry Liang

Residents from across Georgia addressed members of the legislative redistricting committees in an online town hall meeting Tuesday, calling for increased transparency in the process and asking lawmakers to protect the interests of the state’s growing communities of color.

Asian Women Leaders in Atlanta – Our Hidden Resource

June 14, 2021 | Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta

Guest post by Sonjui Kumar, Board Chair of Asian Americans Advancing Justice Atlanta and one of the Founding partners of Kumar, Prabhu, Patel and Banerjee, LLC and Aparna Bhattacharyya, Executive Director of Raksha, Inc. 

Georgia Lawmakers Set Date For First Redistricting Hearing

June 10, 2021 | Roxanne Scott

State lawmakers announced that the first town hall on redistricting will happen on Tuesday. Georgians will be able to testify and give input on the process. Advocates want to make sure that Georgians attend the series of public hearings about re-drawing the state’s voting districts.

Student Activism, An Emory Tradition

May 25, 2021 | Emory University

More than a century ago, Eléonore Raoul, a young suffragist and community organizer, challenged convention by enrolling at Emory’s new law school and going on to graduate in 1920.

If It Limits Access to the Ballot Like Jim Crow, It May Be the 2021 Jim Crow

April, 2021 | Syeda Bano

“We are witnessing right now a massive and unabashed assault on voting rights and voter access unlike anything we have seen since the Jim Crow era.” These were the words of Georgia’s first Black U.S. Senator, Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock, when he gave his first floor speech on March 17th.

Sikh community ‘traumatised’ after shooting at US FedEx facility

April 17, 2021 | Al Jazeera

The Sikh community in the US city of Indianapolis is in mourning, a Sikh advocacy organisation said on Saturday, after it confirmed that four community members were among those killed in a mass shooting at a FedEx facility this week.

An underlying great cause behind this NFT

April 16, 2021 | IssueWire

Mintable user, invest0rgear, pledged to donate 10% of NFT sales to support Asian American Charitable Organisations. With this in mind, invest0rgear minted his first-ever NFT on Mintable, What the Phouck, a 1/1 NFT that includes commercial rights and the ability to resell.

[특별기고] 조지아주 새투표법? 이래서 반대한다!

April 16, 2021 | Su Choe and Davin Shi

연방상원 결선에 진출한 공화당 데이비드 퍼듀, 켈리 로플러 두 후보가 예상치 못한 패배를 맛본 불과 몇 달 후 조지아 공화당은 투표를 더 어렵게 만드는 법을 도입했다. 조지아 주의회는 지난달 25일 선거법 개정안(SB 202)을 통과시켰고 브라이언 켐프 주지사는 법안 통과 후 약 한 시간 만에 주지사 사무실에서 법안에 서명했다. 켐프 주지사가 법안에 서명하고 있는 당시 이 법안에 반대하는 파크 캐넌 민주당 주 하원의원은 주지사실의 문을 두드렸다는 죄로 조지아 순찰대에게 체포됐다.

Events will celebrate Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month

April 5, 2021 | Clark Leonard

The University of North Georgia (UNG) will welcome a keynote speaker and host a panel of faculty members and a student in a pair of events to mark Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.

10 ORGANIZATIONS TO DONATE TO IN SUPPORT OF THE ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITIES

April 5. 2021 | News 12 Staff

The hashtag #StopAsianHate was a top trending topic on Twitter hours after the March 16 fatal shootings at Atlanta-area massage parlors.

Contextualizing Anti-Asian Violence in Atlanta

April 1, 2021 | Su Choe

It was a usual Tuesday evening. I got off from work, opened a can of beer, and was browsing the Netflix Korean drama list so I could relax into my evening routine in my living room in Duluth, Georgia.

Opinion: The 2020 Desi Voter

April 2021 | Syeda Bano

For Desi voters in Georgia, 2020 was a historic year which we’ll never forget. As if surviving a pandemic was not enough, it fell on Georgia’s 238,000 Desi and Asian American& Pacific Islander voters to be the decisive block for the most consequential election of our lives.

Leftist armed militia members show up outside Georgia State Capitol

March 31, 2021 | Hannah Nightingale

A photo posted to Twitter on Wednesday shows militia members wearing helmets and all black, armed with rifles outside of the Georgia State Capitol.

BTS RElease Emotional Letter Calling to #StopAsianHate After Atlanta Salon Shootings

March 30, 2021 | Isabel van Hagen, Shannon McDonagh

BTS have released a powerful message as part of the #StopAsianHate movement, which gained huge momentum after six Asian women were killed in shootings in Atlanta earlier this month.

A list of anti-Asian hate resources and organisations to support

March 25, 2021 | Brit Dawson

Following the murders of six Asian Americans in Atlanta, and in the wake of a rise of racist attacks across the world, here’s some ways to educate, donate, and take action.

Reporter’s Notebook: Civic Walls and Bad Asian create solidarity mural

March 25, 2021 | Hannah Jones

Last week, eight Atlanta residents were killed at three spas in the metro area. Six of the victims were Asian women. The city is in mourning, and citizens are coming together to show solidarity with Georgia’s Asian community.

This is America. The redux.

March 23, 2021 | Rishika Dugyala

Two trends co-exist: The rise in Asian American and Pacific Islander political success — and the rise in violence against the community.

The first trend was inevitable. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are the fastest-growing racial demographic, with nearly 50 different nationalities and ethnicities lumped under the “AAPI” umbrella.

Xiaojie Tan owned 2 spas and planned to retire soon. Then she became one of the Atlanta gunman's first victims

March 22, 2021 | Natasha Chen, Christina Maxouris, Dakin Andone

(CNN) — Jami Webb was planning to celebrate her mother's 50th birthday last week. But Xiaojie Tan, the owner of Youngs Asian Massage in Acworth, Georgia, was killed Tuesday along with seven others at three Atlanta-area spas in a shooting rampage that has rattled the nation.

Anti-Asian Violence Is Spiking; Here's What You Can Do To Help

March 22, 2021 | Victoria Vouloumanos

Much of the increase in violence has been attributed to the association between Asian people and COVID-19. However, police currently say it is too early to determine whether the shootings in Georgia were racially motivated.

Organizations to Support in the Fight Against Asian Hate

March 22, 2021 | Erica Gonzales

On March 16, eight people, including six Asian women, were shot and killed at massage parlors in the Atlanta, Georgia, area, the New York Times reported. It's the latest in a string of racist attacks against the Asian-American and AAPI community during the coronavirus pandemic.

'It's time for people to hear us': Georgia's Asian Americans vow to stand up against hate

March 20, 2021 | Timothy Pratt

On Monday morning, the day before a 21-year-old white man killed six Asian women and two others in the Atlanta metropolitan area, Dr Michelle Au, who became Georgia’s first state senator of east Asian descent only months ago, stood to address her colleagues at the state capitol.

'Stop Asian Hate' vigil at Discovery Green honors Atlanta shooting victims

March 20, 2021 | Chloe Alexander, Janelle Bludau

HOUSTON — Hundreds of people attended a "Stop Asian Hate" vigil and rally held in Discovery Green Saturday afternoon to honor the victims killed in the Atlanta spa shootings earlier this week.

Biden, Harris to grieve with a shaken atlanta

March 19, 2021 | Riley Bunch

ATLANTA — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' visit to Atlanta was originally touted as a celebratory stop to mark the passing of the COVID-19 relief package. Instead, they will mourn Friday with a city shaken by the shooting deaths of eight people earlier in the week.

Community mourns victims of spa shooting rampage

March 19, 2021 | CBS News

Though the motivations behind the Atlanta-area spa shootings are still under investigation, many see the rampage as racially motivated. Mark Strassmann has more.

Georgia Sen. Michelle Au compelled to represent diverse community in midst of ATL shooting

March 19, 2021 | Nancy Guan

Just a day before the shooting deaths of eight people, six of whom were women of Asian descent, Georgia state Senator Michelle Au took to the floor, urging her colleagues to pay attention to rising anti-Asian violence.

Asian Americans grieve, organize in wake of atlanta attacks

March 18, 2021 | Terry Tang

Hundreds of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders turned to social media to air their anger, sadness, fear and hopelessness. The hashtag #StopAsianHate was a top trending topic on Twitter hours after the shootings Tuesday evening.

Suspect Charged with eight murders in atlanta shootings

March 18, 2021

A 21-year-old suspect described as an addict was charged Wednesday with murdering eight people in spas around the US city of Atlanta, in triple attacks that have deeply shaken the Asian-American community.

‘Enough is enough’: Atlanta-area spa shootings spur debate of hate crime label

March 18, 2021 | Bill Chappell, Dustin Jones

Asian Americans and their allies are calling for solidarity and a push against discrimination and racist violence after a gunman killed eight people at three Atlanta-area spas Tuesday. Most of the victims were women of Asian descent.

Georgia’s growing Asian American community Reacts to Spa Killings

March 18, 2021 | Heard on Morning Edition with A Martinez

NPR's A Martinez talks to Aisha Yaqoob Mahmood of the Asian American Advocacy Fund about many in Asian American communities saying they've seen an uptick in violence against people of Asian descent.

SUSPECT IN THREE US SPA SHOOTINGS CHARGED WITH EIGHT MURDERS

March 18, 2021 | Agence France-Presse

Atlanta, United States: A 21-year-old gunman with a "sex addiction" was charged Wednesday with murdering eight people in spas around the US city of Atlanta, in triple attacks that have deeply shaken the Asian-American community.

Biden, harris to meet with Asian American leaders in Atlanta following spa attacks

March 18, 2021 | Maureen Groppe, Nicholas Wu, Bart Jansen, and Joey Garrison

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with Asian American leaders during their Friday visit to Atlanta in response to fears after the shooting of eight individuals, including six Asian Americans, at three spas in the area.

Man, 21, charged with murder in atlanta-area spa shootings

March 17, 2021 | Jenny Jarvie

ATLANTA — A man accused of shooting to death eight people — including six women of Asian descent — at three Atlanta-area spas was charged Wednesday with eight counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault amid uncertainty over the motive.

Shooter accused of murder could face hate crime charges in spa killings

March 17, 2021 | Jill Nolin | Ross Williams

(GA Recorder) — The 21-year-old Woodstock man suspected of gunning down eight people who were mostly Asian women is now charged with murder and has told investigators the shocking violence was not driven by racial animus.

Voter organizers look to cultivate new electorate

March 12, 2021 | Riley Bunch

ATLANTA — As Republicans move to upend Georgia’s election laws, progressive voter organizers are looking at a new electorate that “bodes well for the future of Georgia’s elections."

“투표 참여 막는 악법 반대합니다”

March 10, 2021 | By: Juye Yoon

아시안아메리칸옹호기금, 조지아 주의회 대상 반대 캠페인 실시

조지아 주의회를 장악한 공화당이 부재자 투표를 제한하는 상원법안(SB 241)과 조기투표 시간과 장소를 축소하는 하원법안(HB 531)을 각각 추진하고 있는 가운데 이에 반대하는 아시아계의 청원 캠페인이 본격적으로 시작됐다.

Georgia Senate hands off to House bills to restrict absentee voting

March 9, 2021 | By: Logan C. Ritchie

Atlanta, GA — Voters rights groups in DeKalb County have a watchful eye on the Georgia legislature this month. On Monday, the Georgia Senate passed SB 241 – a bill to end no-excuse absentee voting and require voter ID. The bill is now off to the House of Representatives, where a host of elections bills originated this session.

Raja Kumari joins Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez at the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris inauguration

January 20, 2021 | By: Bollywood Hungama News Network

Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States today in a ceremony that will keep with tradition while being unlike any other inauguration in U.S. history. There will be splendor, ceremony, former presidents, congressional leaders, A-list performers, parades, and tributes to the troops — but before a small, socially distanced audience.

How Stacey Abrams has been mobilizing Asian Americans for years

January 15, 2021 | By: Kimmy Yam

Abrams has long been unrecognized for engaging with the Asian American electorate, targeting them when many politicians continued to treat them as virtually invisible, experts say. With the Democrats’ newfound control of the Senate, many have been praising former Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams for her critical work on voter mobilization, including those in the Asian American community, a group that’s historically been neglected by political campaigns.

Georgia Organizers Won Because They Didn’t Treat Elections as a Be-All, End-All

January 13, 2021 | By: Anoa Changa

Georgia’s Senate runoff election electrified the nation and demonstrated to the world what organizers have always known to be true: Investing in communities across long-term cycles of engagement will yield electoral wins.

Democrats’ historic Georgia Senate wins were years in the making thanks to local grassroots

January 9, 2021 | By: Hannah Miao

President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in Georgia marked the first time a Democrat won the state’s presidential race since 1992. Just two months later, Georgia voters made history again in two competitive runoff elections by sending Democrats to the Senate for the first time in two decades.

How Kelly Loeffler’s Own WNBA Team Helped Defeat Her

January 6, 2021 | By: Emma Specter

On Wednesday, it was officially announced that the Reverend Raphael Warnock—a Democrat, and the leader of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta—had won the Senate special runoff election in Georgia, ousting Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler.

Grassroots Organizers Flipped the Senate and Are Ready to Take on the Democrats

January 7, 2021 | Luis Feliz Leon

Georgia’s runoff elections on January 5 were a referendum on the power of labor unions and grassroots groups to mount a successful organizing campaign in a Southern state with strong vestiges of a Jim Crow era election system favoring Republicans.

‘A monumental shift’: Pioneer Valley activists, politicians hail Georgia election results

January 7, 2021 | Bera Dunau

Pioneer Valley activists and politicians reacted with enthusiasm to the runoff election results for two U.S. Senate seats in Georgia, which appear to have put the Senate into Democratic Party control.

Georgia Turning Blue? In Victory for Grassroots Organizers, Warnock Wins Senate Runoff; Ossoff Leads

January 6, 2021 | Anoa Changa

Democrats appear on the brink of taking control of the U.S. Senate after Reverend Raphael Warnock won a special election over Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler, while Democrat Jon Ossoff has a slim lead in his runoff against Republican Senator David Perdue.

Essential Politics: How Georgia upended expectations

January 6, 2021 | Laura Blasey

WASHINGTON — Does it feel like 2020 never ended? President Trump and his supporters are still circulating baseless conspiracy theories about President-elect Joe Biden’s win. 

‘It is a cliffhanger’: Republicans worry Trump’s moves could depress turnout in Georgia Senate runoffs

January 5, 2021 | Jenny Jarvie And Janet Hook Los Angeles Times

DALTON, Ga. — Just days before Georgia’s Senate runoff election, Kasey Carpenter strode into his bustling Southern home-style restaurant and got straight to the point.

Chicago campaign workers have Georgia on their minds — and their GPS

January 4, 2021 | Mark Brown

Chicago Democrats are engaged directly in the fight — and excited about what they’ve witnessed. From old-fashioned door-knocking to sophisticated texting efforts to standing on street corners with signs, campaign workers have blanketed Georgia for two months. “It’s just massive amounts of people,” Balanoff said of the Democratic push.

Asian-American Voters Can Help Decide Elections. But for Which Party?

January 3, 2021 | Matt Stevens

They surged to the polls in 2020 and could help swing the Georgia Senate runoffs. Activists and experts say it is long past time for both Democrats and Republicans to pursue them.

How Georgia Got Organized

January 2, 2021 | Brittany Gibson

Stacey Abrams’s vision (and fundraising prowess) combined with a network of local organizers helped Joe Biden win the general election. Now they’re working on the Senate runoffs.

Could Asian Americans be crucial to swinging Georgia's Senate races?

January 1, 2021 | Lauren Gambino

The demographics of the south are changing and both Democrats and Republicans are taking note of a growing, diverse constituency