WACO, Texas — In light of the three Atlanta spa shootings that left six people of Asian descent dead, Waco Cha, an Asian-owned business in Downtown Waco, is donating a percentage of their profits this week toward the #HateIsAVirus movement.
“We want to show the community that we want to stand against anti-Asian racism and we want to support our community not just here locally but in the United States," said Jaja Chen, co-owner of Waco Chen.
The shootings are just some of many recent incidences in which someone of Asian descent was the victim of a crime. According to Stop AAPI Hate, nearly 3,800 incidents were reported over the course of roughly a year during the pandemic.
In a Facebook post from the restaurant on March 17, they said they want to do more to help stop Asian hate.
"Thank you to everyone who has reached out to us to check in with us as a team in light of all that has happened in our country - not only today but throughout this past year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are grieved by the continued increase of hate crimes against Asians and Asian Americans and stand in solidarity with the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community against hatred and racism," the post said. "We will be giving a portion of our profits this week to #HateIsAVirus and their commUNITY Action Fund. For those who do not know, @hateisavirus is a nonprofit community that seems to amplify, educate, and activate AAPI to stand for justice and equality in solidarity with other communities. Funds will be used to further the work of AAPI non-profit organizations throughout the US, including organizations with programs that provide mental health services, safety & care for elderly, and community organizations that build solidarity with other BIPOC communities."
Chen said supporting locally-owned Asian businesses is important. In town, there is East Market and Good, Clay Pot, Cajun Craft Waco and others that you can find on their Facebook Page.
Her hope is that those who don't understand what is happening do find a way to educate themselves.
“One of the first places is to start to learn about the anti-Asian racism here in the U.S., a lot of people have no idea about situations like Japanese internment camps, Chinese exclusions act, or even just the history of the racial concerns,” she said.
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