posted on 03/23/2021

Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism stands in solidarity with Asian Communities

Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism

Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism stands in solidarity with Asian communities and the families of those who have suffered loss and pain due to the recent attacks on Atlanta-area spas.

On Tuesday, March 16, Daoyou Feng, Paul Andre Michels, Hyeon Jeong Park, Julie Park, Xiaojie Tan, Delaina Ashley Yaun, and two more people whose names have not yet been released, were murdered in a string of deadly shootings at three Asian spas in the Atlanta area. Six of these eight victims were Asian women. We grieve for them and the other named and unnamed Asian people who have experienced violence.

This devastating hate crime occurred in the midst of an escalation in violence against Asian communities during the pandemic fueled by the xenophobic rhetoric of politicians and policymakers, including former President Trump. The recent surge in anti-Asian violence is rooted in a long history of systemic white supremacist misogyny. Asian women, especially those in low-wage occupations including the beauty service industry and sex work, are disproportionately affected by violence at the intersection of racism, xenophobia, misogyny, and economic inequity. Law enforcement’s unacceptable response only serves to perpetuate a culture of impunity for white male violence.

We stand in grief, love, and solidarity with Asian communities and we join them in calling for intersectional, community-led solutions to address the root causes of violence and hate and the realization of accountability and justice for all.

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Chinyere Ezie

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Role

Chinyere Ezie is a Senior Staff Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, where she advocates for racial justice, gender justice, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI+) rights, and challenges governmental abuses of power. Chinyere previously worked at the Southern Poverty Law Center where she brought cases defending the rights of LGBTQI+ Southerners. She also served as a Trial Attorney at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, where she litigated employment discrimination cases and secured a $5.1 million jury verdict on behalf of workers subjected to unlawful treatment. Chinyere is a William J. Fulbright Scholar, a White House Fellows Program Regional Panelist, and a cum laude graduate of Yale University. She also received a Juris Doctorate from Columbia Law School, where she was an Alexander Hamilton Scholar and served as Editor in Chief of the Journal of Gender and Law. Chinyere serves on the Board of Directors of the Transgender Law Center and the feminist grant-making organization the Urgent Action Fund. She was also a Founding Board Member of the National Trans Bar Association.In 2018, she was named one of the nation’s Best LGBTQI+ Lawyers Under 40.