Leaders in Prince George’s County, Maryland, held a rally Saturday to honor the victims of the mass shootings in Atlanta and denounce the increasing rate of hate crimes against the Asian American community.
The event was organized by Amy Fry, a member of the Cheverly town council, who is Korean American. Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy spoke at the rally. She said she’s able to relate to the fear the Asian community may be feeling at this moment.
“As an African American, I know the fear that individuals — especially individuals of color — have when they are targeted and killed essentially because of who they are, so we’re here to say that hate will not be tolerated in any form,” Braveboy said.
She said although Prince George’s County has not seen an uptick in violence against the Asian community, she still wanted to take a stand.
“Even if that event did not take place here in Prince George’s County, it took place in America,” Braveboy said. “We want our Asian community to know that they can come to government, they can come to law enforcement, they can come to the prosecutor’s office.”
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Braveboy works with a multi-cultural commission and a number of the members are from different Asian countries.
“I wanted us to all stand together united for this cause,” Braveboy said.
She also wanted to attend the rally to let the community know the discrimination they are facing right now is just as important as any other ethnic group’s issues.
“I think that the Asian community here faces some of the same challenges as other members of our communities face, but what I want to ensure is that they know that they have equal access to justice and that their issues are just as important as everyone else’s.”
