Reiko Miyagawa, Japanese Support Group of Lexington (JPLex)

Welcome. Before we start the program, I would like to remind you, for the safety of yourself and others, please wear a mask during this event and keep 6 feet away from each other, unless you are with people in the same household.  With or without vaccination, let’s keep everyone here safe and healthy.

On behalf of the Lexington Community Coalition and co-sponsors, I welcome you to tonight’s “Community Gathering & Vigil.”  I am Reiko Miyagawa, representing JPLex, Japanese Support Group of Lexington. Tonight we are holding this Gathering and Vigil for the victims of the Atlanta, Georgia shootings that happened on March 16th. There were 8 victims, out of which 6 were women of Asian descent. Unfortunately, this is just one of many anti-Asian hate incidents in the United States. Over the year of the pandemic, nearly 3,800 anti-Asian hate incidents have been reported.  That is much more than the 2,800 incidents reported the previous year.  As in Atlanta, women are disproportionately targeted: 68% of the victims have been women.

This vigil is for all the people who have suffered from anti-Asian and misogynist hate crimes in Atlanta and elsewhere our country.  We are here for people who have been targets of other hate crimes as well. Our vigil in Lexington is one of many gatherings that have been organized tonight in cities all over the nation, all for the same purpose.

In Lexington, our vigil is sponsored by the Lexington Community Coalition, which consists of 20 plus community organizations in Lexington. Our cosponsors are:

• Association of Black Citizens of Lexington (ABCL)

• Bangladeshi Americans of Lexington (BALex)

• BEN Running Club

• Boston Sichuanese Association

• Cary Memorial Library

• Chinese American Association of Lexington (CAAL)

• Chinese Americans of Lexington (CALex)

• Chinese American Association of Newton (CAAN)

• Civic Education Alliance (CEA)

• First Parish in Lexington, Unitarian Universalist

• Follen Church

• Highrock Church

• Indian Americans of Lexington (IAL)

• Japanese Support Group of Lexington (JPLex)

• Korean-American Organization of Lexington (KOLex)

• LexArt

• LexChat

• Lexington Community Coalition

• Lexington Farmers’ Market

• Lexington Historical Society

• Lexington Human Rights Committee

• Lexington PTA/PTO Presidents Council (PPC)

• LexPride

• Lextinas

• Lingzi Foundation

• LPS Green Teams

• New England Chinese American Alliance (NECAA)

• New Legacy Cultural Center (NLCC)

• North America Hangzhou Association

• North American Nanning Association

• Pilgrim Congregational Church UUC

• Sunrise Lexington

• The Lexington Minute Men

• Together We Rise

• United Chinese Americans - Massachusetts (UCA-MA) 

• Wisdom Temple in Billerica

• Zhejing WeChat Group

In addition, we have many individuals here representing many parts of our community. This is truly a community-wide response.

Now I will read the names of the people whose lives were taken away in Atlanta:

• Soon Chung Park

• Hyun Jung Grant

• Suncha Kim

• Yong Ae Yue

• Delaina Ashley Yaun

• Paul Andre Michels

• Xiaojie Tan

• Daoyou Feng

 We hold all of these people in our hearts. Please join me in a moment of silence in their memory. Thank you. 

Next, people from several organizations will make a brief speech.  Due to time constraints, we will post other people’s statements on the Lexington Community Coalition’s website: lexhere4you.org.  We plan to end the program around 8:15, but the light display will remain here till 9 pm.

 And now I’m pleased to welcome our next speaker, Senator Cindy Friedman. 

Senator Cindy Friedman

A strong community comes together when one or some of its members are threatened. This is what we are doing here tonight.

Violence against Asian Americans is real, growing and dangerous. We mourn the lives lost in Atlanta and stand with the AAPI community here in Lexington and across the country. Now is the time to stand strong and loud against the scapegoating and targeting of our AAPI friends, neighbors and fellow residents and denounce all racially-motivated crimes.

I am proud to be part of this community and pledge to do what I can to ensure Lexington, and the Commonwealth remain a welcoming place for all no matter who they are or where they come from. Our differences make us richer. Our differences make us stronger. Thank you, Lexington for bringing us together tonight in a true sense of community.

Dr. Julie Hackett, Lexington Public Schools Superintendent

Transcript not available. Please view speech on recording (at 9:06).

Hua Wang, Chinese American Association of Lexington (CAAL)

Good evening, I am Hua Wang, President of CAAL. I am here also representing Lexington Historical Society, UCA-MA, and NECCA. Today we gather here in Lexington in mourning and solidarity. We are joined by vigils/rallies/protests across the entire nation.

We are grieving, angry, and we are in pain! In this historical moment for Asian Americans and indeed for all Americans, two burning questions are begging for answers. And this is the homework assignment for all of us.

Why is this happening? Is history repeating itself? In 1982 Vincent Chin was murdered because he was mistaken as Japanese. In 2020, Tadataka Unno was attacked because he was mistaken as Chinese.

What can we all do? What can we do as individuals? What can we do as neighbors? What can we do as organizations? What can we do as a community and as a nation?

Today is a beautiful beginning but it’s only a beginning. It takes a village to answer the Why and What and to move towards a more perfect union. To quote MLK in closing: Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Susie Lee-Snell, Korean-American Organization of Lexington (KOLex)

It is good to see so many gathered here embracing our community. Tonight we honor the eight victims in Atlanta. 

We are struck with grief and sadness as we mourn for the loss of their lives as a result of a senseless act of violence.  Many are even discouraged and angry at the idea of this event being the end result of someone’s “bad day”.

I have heard too many stories in the past month, in the past year, of hate crimes because of our skin color, faith, gender, whom we choose to love… Any act of violence against a target group or an individual is violence against humanity. We may not have personally known the victims, but their sudden and tragic end to their lives is felt by many.

 When we hear of violence such as this it can leave us feeling vulnerable.

But we cannot let the action of one person steal our sense of hope. Hope for a better tomorrow. As individuals and together as a community, we need to choose love. It is our differences that make Lexington rich and vibrant community. And we need to embrace these differences.

Now this will take courage and compassion, to rise above the hate and fear. But we can do it! And we will stand together in unity and in peace.

Houze Xu, Chinese Americans of Lexington (CALex)

Good evening. My name is Houze Xu, Co-president of CALex, Chinese Americans of Lexington. Thank you all for coming and joining us at this important moment. We are shaken by the horrific hate crimes, and sincerely hope the families of the victims can overcome this difficult time.

As more and more incidents of violence and hate against Asian Americans happened, our community has become increasingly concerned about our safety. We are grateful for living in Lexington with a great supportive community. We are one community and stay strong.

There are many actions we can take to stop Asian Hate. First of all, don’t be quiet, don’t keep silence, let us speak up, let our voice be heard and our pain be felt. We are not immune to racially motivated hate crimes, lets stand together with our brothers and sisters to fight against prejudices, biases, injustices, and hate crimes.

Thank you!

Vineeta Kumar, Indian Americans of Lexington (IAL)

Once again, we join tonight to mourn the loss of innocent lives. We offer our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the victims of the Atlanta shooting. The pandemic has brought out an ugly racist rhetoric that has been painful and often deadly for the Asian American community.  While anti-Asian sentiment is not new and has taken on various forms throughout our country’s history, it hurts that hate based violence continues in the shape of physical and mental assault.

Biases against minorities pervade our lives in overt and not so overt ways, leading to inequality, inequity and loss of life. As individuals, as a community and as a town, it’s everyone’s responsibility to fight hate, bias and bigotry. Asian Americans are Americans. African Americans are Americans, People of Color are Americans. No matter what your ethnic origin, racial identity, religious identity or gender identity, we are equal and our children deserve better.

 Indian Americans of Lexington (IAL) continues its commitment to fighting bigotry against any group and is here to add its voice and active support as we stand in solidarity with our Asian brothers and sisters. During this difficult time, we share our hope through this Sanskrit shloka:

Asatoma Sad-Gamaya
Tamaso Maa Jyotir-Gamaya
Mrytyor-Maa Amritam Gamaya
Om Shanti, Shanti Shantihi

It translates to:

Lead me from untruth to the Truth.
Lead me from darkness to light.
Lead me from death to immortality
Om Peace Peace Peace

Thank you.

Sean Osborne, Association of Black Citizens of Lexington (ABCL)

Good evening, I am Sean Osborne, President of the Association of Black Citizens of Lexington, ABCL. 

On behalf of the ABCL board and its membership, I would like to express our solidarity with the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. The deadly attacks that took place in Atlanta are the latest in a long history of racist violence in our country. 

These assaults were personal to many Black families in Lexington. For they have spouses, children, in-laws, aunts, and uncles who are Asian. In fact, 2 of our 9 board members are married to folks of Asian descent. One from Singapore and the other from Vietnam. 

The evils of White Supremacy and racism are intertwined and continue to fuel racist violence and harassment in and around our town. Like a vigilant gardener, we must regularly remove the weeds and prune away the unwanted growths that are represented by the racists and their enablers in our midst. 

And just as our ancestors planted seeds of love so that we might enjoy the fruits of their labor today, we also must plant seeds of love so that our children may enjoy those fruits in a community free of the racism and sexism that fueled the attacks in Atlanta. 

Larry Freeman, LexPride and Together We Rise

Transcript not available. Please view speech on recording (at 24:28).

Joe Pato, Lexington Select Board

I’m Joe Pato and I am here today on behalf of my colleagues on the Select Board – Doug Lucente, Suzie Barry, Jill Hai, and Mark Sandeen – to express my personal and our collective grief over the recent hate fueled violence in Georgia, anger at the rising rate of anti-Asian hate crimes across the country, and support and solidarity for our family, friends, and neighbors who are the targets of these crimes.

We are proud of Lexington’s diverse and inclusive heritage, our communal respect for the differences that strengthen us, and our shared commitment to each other that unifies us.

We are here for each other. 

One way to help Lexington's Asian residents is for each of us, who are not Asian, to reach out and get to know our Asian neighbors. Let's go beyond symbolism and act locally to cement our bonds.

We are also here as an institution.

The Town is committed to providing supportive resources to any of our residents who are impacted by hate crimes, hate incidents, or microaggressions. Please refer to the joint statement on the recent hate crime in Georgia posted on the Town’s web site for information on how to access these support resources.

Jim Malloy, Lexington Town Manager

Transcript not available. Please view speech on recording (at 27:33).

Eileen Jay, Lexington School Committee

I’m Eileen Jay from the Lexington School Committee. The School Committee is appalled and saddened by the recent anti-Asian hate crimes and stands in support of all Asian Americans. These racist attacks are unacceptable and won’t be tolerated. 

But this is NOT new. Discrimination against Asians has been happening for over 150 years.

Too often, Asians are seen as stereotypes. We are treated as perpetual foreigners. We become invisible to others. But we are not stereotypes, we are individuals. We are not foreigners, we are Americans. We will not be invisible because we matter!

Those of us who have experienced it know that racial slurs, name calling, and words of hate are hurtful. When it turns to violence, it’s even more horrific.

What can we do?

As a school system, we will teach our children about the history of racism, empower them to stand up against racist acts, and help them learn about their own identities.

As a community, we can decry racial biases and notice when stereotypes get in the way of understanding one another. Asian and non-Asian residents can learn from each other. And we should stand united in fighting against racism that undermines the dignity and well-being of Asian Americans everywhere.

Senator Mike Barrett

Transcript not available. Please view speech on recording (at 30:35).

Mark Corr, Chief of Police

Transcript not available. Please view speech on recording (at 32:18).

Ting Fang, New Legacy Cultural Center (NLCC)

My name is Ting Fang. On behalf of the New Legacy Cultural Center, I am here today to express our deepest condolences to the victims of the Atlanta Mass Shootings.

The unprecedented increase in anti-Asian crimes saddens us. America should be better than this! The trend must be stopped! Racism and Hate Crimes should not be tolerated! Not in America, Not where we all belong!

“The world suffers. Not because of violence of bad people. But because of the silence of good people.”

Let’s put an end to the violence and hate crimes. Let’s stand in soladarity as one community! Tonight, let’s send this message together to our generations to come as “Humanity still matters, Kindness still matters!”

Thank you all！

Katie O’Hare Gibson (First Parish) and Howie Bernstein (Follen Church)

As we gather in sorrow and outrage, we want to share with you segments of a message from the Unitarian Universalist Association, the central organization supporting Unitarian Universalist congregations across the country. 

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) joins leaders across the country in decrying the recent surge of hate crimes against Asians and Asian Americans. We call on governments at every level to send the clear message that such actions will not be tolerated. We are in solidarity with victims, survivors, and families who have suffered loss and pain.

This country has a shameful history of racist acts towards the Asian community. Long-standing racist tropes about Asians as “other” are deeply embedded in the national consciousness. These stereotypes fuel current discrimination, and can subtly shape unconscious bias or even outright hatred and violence.

We know these acts of violence are rooted in the same white supremacy and hate that takes the lives of Black, Indigenous, and Latinx people. We affirm the interconnectedness of all people who are against hatred—and recognize that this discrimination was born of the extremism that hurts us all.

This rise in violence is a wake-up call to some of us to take a long, hard look in the mirror. We must confront ignorance with information and education. We must not tolerate the racist violence and the multiple systemic crises of injustice that the COVID pandemic has laid bare.

As Unitarian Universalists, we affirm that every human life is important and worthy of respect. In the midst of the forces of hate that seek to undermine our fundamental interdependence, we must re-affirm our compassion and responsibility to one another.

And we would add… Our call is to mourn, speak out, protest, and work for change.

Christina Lin and Patricia Jacotin, PTA/PTO Presidents’ Council

Transcript not available. Please view speech on recording (at 37:55).

FuangYing Huang, Lexington Human Rights Committee (LHRC)

Good evening, I am Fuang Ying Huang, former Vice Chair and current member of Lexington's Human Rights Committee.  

I am saddened by why we are here tonight, but also comforted by us coming together as Lexingtonians.  

But the REALITY of racism is that tomorrow some of us will still be WHITE and the rest of us will NOT. 

If we truly want to work TOGETHER to dismantle racism, we must deliberately make room to listen to, and elevate voices of minorities, including FEMALE voices of minorities.  When we tell you our experiences with sexism and/or racism, listen and learn. Don’t mistake our politeness for weakness. Stop excusing and perpetuating the insidious stereotypes that start with the “model minority myth” and end with trying to shut down our voices permanently.  Asian Americans are AMERICANS. We are proud Americans who also proud of our heritage.   

So join me in condemning hateful language like “China Virus”, “Asian Invasion”’ and “THOSE PEOPLE are ruining the character of OUR town”. ALL of that contributes to the othering of your Asian American friends and neighbors. We deserve better.   

Today, we all stand together in sorrow and sympathy. 

Tomorrow, please join us to truly dismantle racism. 

Thank you.

MarthaLeticia Valencia-Torres, Lextinas

My name is MarthaLeticia and I represent Lextinas and all Spanish speakers in the town of Lexington and I would like to let our AAPI community that we stand in solidarity with them.

Thank you for coming this evening. Thank you for standing with us in the community against racism and xenophobia. Our diversity is what makes us stronger as a community. We stand together against hate. Thank you again and good night.

Mi nombre es MarthaLeticia y representó al grupo Lextinas así como a todos los hispanohablantes del pueblo de Lexington, quiero que sea del conocimiento de la comunidad AAPI que estamos con ustedes y los apoyamos.

Gracias por acompañarnos esta noche. Gracias por estar con nosotros como comunidad en contra del Racismo y la Xenofobia. Nuestra diversidad es lo que nos hace más fuertes y apoyarnos en contra del odio también. Gracias otra vez y Buenas Noches.

Representative Michelle Ciccolo

We are blessed as a community to be able to gather together with our Asian American neighbors in solidarity to lift up our collective voices and say that hate has no place in our Town, no place in our Commonwealth, and no place in our country.

The shootings and murders in Atlanta last week were devastating, and made even more so by the obvious anti-Asian racial intent behind them. Violence against people of Asian descent has been on the rise for over a year, fueled by the heightened hateful rhetoric and misinformation directed at that community around COVID-19. While this bigotry did not begin, nor will it end, with the pandemic, it is critical that racism and xenophobia be repudiated and aggressively fought in all its forms, and I resolve to doing everything I can to do so.
I further commit to elevating the voices of those who have been historically marginalized and to being an active partner in denouncing and addressing discrimination, assault, racism, and hate against the AAPI community. I wish I could be here with you all this evening, but please know that I am here in spirit, words, and action, and I stand with you all tonight and always.