Tan, 49, was the mother of Jami Webb, a recent graduate from the University of Georgia. She was a licensed massage therapist and the owner of Young’s Asian Massage, along with other businesses in the area, including another spa and a tanning salon, according to state records. She was “the sweetest, most kind-hearted, giving, never-met-a-stranger person,” a friend told Atlanta’s WSB-TV. Just one day away from her 50th birthday when she was killed, according to USA Today, Tan was described by her daughter as thoughtful, devoted to her family, and looking forward to traveling in her retirement.
Hyun Jung Grant was a Korean immigrant who worked at Atlanta’s Gold Spa. Her son Randy Park, 23, shared a tribute to his mother on GoFundMe: He said his mother was a single parent who “dedicated her whole life to providing for my brother and I.” She loved dancing and sushi, according to Park, who told The Daily Beast, “She wasn’t just my mother. She was my friend.” Park, who now has to raise his brother alone, is not buying law-enforcement officials’ suggestion that the attack was motivated by a supposed sex addiction, not racism. “That’s bullshit,” he said.
Yaun Gonzalez, 33, was a mother of two — 13-year-old Mayson and 8-month-old Mia. She had worked all day on Tuesday at the Waffle House a few shops down from Tan’s spa business. She had been looking forward to having a relaxing night out with her husband, Mario Gonzalez, whom she married only last year, and the couple had reportedly never been to Young’s Asian Massage before. According to Fox 5 Atlanta, family members say that Mario Gonzalez, who survived the shooting, is “taking [the situation] hard.” Delaina Ashley Yaun Gonzalez’s friends and family have set up a GoFundMe to address her funeral costs.
Michels, 54, was a handyman at Young’s Asian Massage and the owner of an electric company. He was only recently hired for the role and excited to take it on after looking for more work during the pandemic, according to a friend who spoke with CBS46. An army veteran originally from Detroit, Michels is one of nine siblings and is survived by his wife of more than two decades. In an interview with the Guardian, his brother John Michels emphasized his kindness. “He was just a regular guy, very good-hearted, very soft-natured,” he said, while noting that Michels had expressed an interest in getting involved in the massage business.
A licensed massage therapist, she was laid off at the start of the pandemic last year and was excited to finally start shifts at the spa again, her son Elliott Peterson, 42, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday morning. Yue’s youngest child, Robert Peterson, 38, agreed, recalling their mother as a kind and deeply caring woman. If you stopped by her house, she’d sit you down, ask if you’d eaten, and then insist on a trip to H Mart grocery store so she could make a meal.
Daoyou Feng, 44, began working at Young’s Asian Massage in recent months, according to Tan’s friend Hynson. She was kind and quiet, he said. Her relatives could not be reached for comment.
Soon Chung Park, 74, was also a worker at an Atlanta spa. Her family didn’t respond when reached for comment. Park previously lived in New York, where she has relatives, her son-in-law, Scott Lee, told the New York Times. “She got along with her family so well,” Lee told the newspaper.
Suncha Kim, 69, worked at one of the spas in Atlanta. Her family could not be reached for comment. Kim, a grandmother, was married for more than 50 years, a family member told the Times. She enjoyed line dancing and worked hard, the relative said.
Hernandez-Ortiz, 30, was the only survivor of the victims who were shot on Tuesday, and he remains hospitalized for multiple gunshot wounds in his “forehead, throat, lungs and stomach,” according to the Washington Post. He was shot while standing outside in the shopping center where Young’s Asian Massage is located. “He came from nothing and has come a long way; that is why I have faith he will survive this,” his wife Flor Gonzalez told the Washington Post. Gonzalez has also set up a GoFundMe to help with the costs of Hernandez-Ortiz’s medical care.
The media is moving on but I haven’t. . I’m not very good with words or emotions, but what I can offer is 10+ years of martial arts training and 20+ years of existing while female and Asian. I’ve tried to suppress bad memories as much as possible, but Atlanta really blew the lid off that strategy. . So here’s an infographic on an under taught truth of self-defense. It’s not a solution to systemic racism, but I hope it allows you to reclaim your agency, and walk down the street with a little less fear than yesterday. . . . . . . . . . . . . . #atlanta #stopaapihate #selfdefense #stopasianhate #selfdefenseforwomen #selfdefence #hateisavirus #protectourelders #infographic ##artinsanely #artaccounts #arthabit #smallartist #artistsupport #justdraw #artistssupportartists #procreate #procreate5x #ipadproart #ipadart #digitalart #digitalillustration #digital_artist #ipadpainting #asianartist #asianart #asianamerican #aapi https://www.instagram.com/p/CM5and-sdOU/?igshid=1ou2z1jcugyo0
via @stopaapihate - “The #SaferPlace campaign will turn up the heat on state lawmakers & show the importance of advancing No Place For Hate California in this critical moment in the legislative cycle by bringing together a large, diverse coalition of people to reframe #streetharassment as a public health problem that can be addressed through policy intervention.
How you can participate: Our Tweetstorm will start on May 4, we hope you’ll participate in this campaign by sharing your experience with street harassment, following 3 simple steps: • Share a tweet, describing the last time or the most memorable time that you have been leered at, stared at, or subjected to verbal attacks; whether on the street, inside a train station, or at the grocery store. Tell us what happened & what it would mean to you to feel safer in public & add #SaferPlace. • You can also join our photo campaign by taking a picture of yourself holding a white piece of paper that completes the following sentence: “I want a safer place to _______________” & add #SaferPlace. • Uplift the experiences of others by liking, retweeting or engaging with other content that uses the #SaferPlace hashtag.
Here are a few examples: - 77% of women have experienced street harassment according to @stpstharassmnt & thats 77% too many. We must create a #SaferPlace for women, girls & other vulnerable groups to thrive. California is long overdue to pass #NoPlaceForHateCA. - If I had a #SaferPlace to _______________, I wouldn’t have to _______________. #CALeg, let’s pass #NoPlaceForHateCA to create safer & more accessible places for everyone. - As a [woman/parent/POC], I want a #SaferPlace for [someone important in your life whose experienced harassment], #NoPlaceForHateCA can help us get there.
Secondary Hashtags: #NoPlaceForHateCA corresponds with the No Place For Hate California campaign. Please include it in all tweets that relate to the bills themselves. #CALeg refers to the California state legislature, where our bills will remain until passage. Please include it in all tweets that call upon lawmakers to take action. Like, save, tag, comment, & share!! #stopasianhate #stopaapihate #aanhpi (at Twitter) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdMv1GbOcrW/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
Chinese people who actually wear those China looking hats (you know wut I’m talking about, the triangle ones) are being racist against themselves and brainwashed if they can’t understand that the whole world has turned their hats into a disrespectful stereotype.
Stop Asian Hate! Standing in solitary with the AAPI communities. The violent attacks and horrific killings in Atlanta are sickening and heartbreaking This needs to stop. If you see something, say something. Enough is enough. Hate has no home here. #stopasianhate #stopaapihate #hateisavirus #diverserunnersworld #diversewerun #blacklivesmatter✊✊✊ https://www.instagram.com/p/CMs6f_YHOn6/?igshid=13eiz0nxeep8u
I’ve always felt ashamed to be Chinese, because all I ever hear are negative things about China/the Chinese. I used to call myself American for the longest time, since I was born there and hold a US passport. I never felt like I belonged anywhere. I’ve westernized myself, and realized lately that the stories or characters I create are much more Western than Asian—I don’t know whose story I’m trying to tell. I never talk about my lineage or my culture—I don’t know who I’m trying to be. But after seeing all the Asian hate, I’m tired of pushing that part of myself away. I am Asian and I’m proud of it. I stand with my fellow Asians and say #stopasianhate
“Life is a state of endless becoming. It is vital not to forget where we’ve been, to take inventory of all that we currently have, and to envision bigger lives for ourselves.
I WAS — In a society that is forward facing and fast moving, there is value in pausing and looking back. The first phase asks us to rest and reflect. To acknowledge the stages we have survived, the people we have loved, and the losses we have accumulated.
We must make a home for all of our experiences and allow them to take shape. How will we let our past inform us? How will we carry it forward? How will we become bigger than what has hurt us?
I AM — The character sits centered, anchored in the present.
We must take the time to absorb what is happening now without letting life mindlessly pass us by. Pay attention, even to the hard parts.
I WILL BE — Evolution is inevitable. Should we ever feel stuck or trapped, we can seek comfort knowing we exist in a state of flux.
The character exits the frame, envisioning a life beyond what the viewer can see.
This piece serves as an homage to process, rather than outcome. Healing happens when we are able to incorporate the full spectrum of our experiences and integrate our collective selves. Instead of keeping parts of us in the dark, we deserve to live wholly and authentically. I hope you will honor every leg of your journey, knowing life is infinitely unfolding.”
Chanel Miller. “I was, I am, I will be” is on view at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco through February 2022.
