Tuesday, April 17, 2007

NAKASEC, Korean American Coalition and JACL support Victims of Virginia Tech Massacre

Photo: Eun Sook Lee of NAKASEC
Korean American national civil rights groups like NAKASEC to local groups from LA to Atlanta have issued their statements regarding the Virginia Tech massacre. And, HapiHour's Keith Kamisugi reports that the Korean American Coalition, the Mirae Foundation and the Southern California Korean College Student Association have created a “Virginia Tech Memorial Fund” to support those affected by the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech.
View the complete post at the HapiHour Blog. See also the Korean American Coalition of DC.
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Patty Wada of the National JACL [Japanese American Citizens League] forwarded their response to the Virginia Tech tragedy as well - The JACL Mourns Virginia Tech Tragedy
Washington D.C. The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) is shocked by the meaningless loss of human life in the killing of over 30 students and faculty at Virginia Tech. The JACL joins the rest of the Nation to express condolences to the families of those who perished in this tragedy and wish for a speedy recovery of those who were injured.
In this tragedy, the JACL also cautioned against reprisals against students, faculty, and others who are of Asian ancestry. While it has been confirmed that the gunman was Asian, there is no evidence that race or ethnicity of the suspected gunman had anything to do with the incident. The JACL emphasizes that this tragedy must be seen as the act of an individual and not that of an ethnic community.
JACL National Director, Floyd Mori stated, “The Asian American community is stunned and outraged that such a horrible incident could occur anywhere, especially in the peaceful atmosphere of an academic institution. We grieve with the families and friends of those who have died, yet we caution against stigmatizing an entire ethnic community. The Asian American community understands well the negative impact of such ethnic stigmatizing, and we hope that authorities will assure the future safety of all students and faculty there at Virginia Tech.”

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