COLUMBUS, Ind. — A wide mix of ethnic, cultural and faith groups in Bartholomew County is joining forces at 5:30 p.m. Friday to host a rally in support of area Asian Americans.
Organizers said the planned, 30-minute gathering at the City Hall Plaza, 123 Washington St. in downtown Columbus, will be a show of unity in the wake of the killings of six Asian Americans in shootings at Atlanta area spas last week. Police have not determined if race was a factor in the murders in which eight people in total died.
Pastor Felipe Martinez of the local First Presbyterian Church, among the rally organizers, and an outspoken leader on racial harmony and equality, said the goal Friday is simple, though there have been no known recent hate-related incidents against local Asian Americans.
“First and foremost, we want to make sure the Asian American community in Columbus feels seen, heard and supported,” Martinez said. “There has been a lot of racist violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders throughout the United States in the last year or so. And then there’s this mass shooting in Atlanta.
“We know that some people are on edge. And this is our opportunity to say to our community siblings that we are with them.”
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic.
