Lawrenceville Leaders Speak Out Against Violence Against AAPI Individuals

As Lawrentians gathered for the first School Meeting after spring break on March 17, Head of School Steve Murray and School President Soleil Saint-Cyr shared messages denouncing violence against members of the Asian, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander communities. Lawrenceville stands in solidarity with the AAPI community, and extends support and love to our students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, and friends. Together, we will find opportunity in adversity and continue to strive toward the Best for All.

Read Head of School Murray’s statement here.

Saint-Cyr said:

Before we begin School Meeting today, I want to take time to acknowledge the last night’s gruesome display of violence.

In three separate massage parlors throughout the Metro Atlanta Region, a gunman opened fire. Eight people were killed, seven of them women, and six were Asian.

The United States, over the past year, has seen a surge in violence and hate-incidents against Asian-Americans. According to Stop AAPI Hate, there were nearly 3,800 incidents of hate in the past twelve months alone. Much of this violent racism has been fueled by the anti-Asian rhetoric that has become widespread since the onset of the coronavirus, but it is also important to acknowledge the United States’ long history of discriminatory behavior against Asians and Asian-Americans. Though the investigation of last night’s events have yet to commence, and the gunman’s motive is disputed, we can still recognize this as a mass shooting which has affected the Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities.

I hope that our community’s increased awareness of these hateful events that affect members of our community, and millions of others, will provoke us to speak up and speak out against anti-Asian hate.

I would now like for us to take a moment of silence to reflect on the lives of those killed last night, and the thousands of others who have been victims of hate.

For additional information, please contact Lisa M. Gillard Hanson, director of Public Relations, at lgillard@lawrenceville.org.