This week, shootings in Atlanta, U.S., killed eight people, six of whom were identified as Asian women, four of whom were of Korean descent.
Karen Chee, a writer on Late Night with Seth Meyers, delivered a powerful monologue on the media and police's refusal to use the appropriate language to describe this act of domestic terrorism.
"Most outlets have failed to call it what it is: a hate crime. Because it is a hate crime," said Chee. "The shooter — a racist, a misogynist, and a coward — specifically targeted working class Asian women. He went after people in one of the most vulnerable intersections of our community."
She added that some news outlets tried to humanise the killer — which often happens when white men commit acts of domestic terrorism — by describing the murderer as "fed up" and "having a bad day."
"This killing spree was not the result of a bad day. This was the result of a misogynist, racist hatred that stems from white supremacy. This was a textbook hate crime," Chee said.
Chee said that the refusal to refer to this murder as a hate crime erases Asian people as they're being killed and ignores centuries of racism.
Topics Racial Justice
