Gathering strength to end racialized violence

Eight people, including six Asian women, were killed in a mass shooting in Atlanta, Georgia this week. Every loss of life is devastating. In this act of racialized violence, the lives taken were those of friends, sisters, brothers, daughters, sons, spouses – and parents. 

As an organization committed to racial equity and racial healing on behalf of children, we condemn this assault on humanity and the increasing hate crimes, and verbal and physical attacks on Asians and Asian Americans in our communities. 

Any assault on the humanity of one threatens and harms us all. In this moment, we reach out in compassion for those who have experienced the trauma of racialized violence — and those who live in fear that their families will be targeted next.

But we also call for a clear understanding of what this violence represents. 

These dehumanizing actions are part of the enduring, centuries-long legacy of racism, intertwined with a deeply-engrained misogyny toward our Asian relatives and community members. To stop the cycle of violence, loss and grief they perpetuate, we must acknowledge the racism at the root of these hateful incidents and stand together to build an equitable future.  

Our work, in partnership with so many organizations across the country, affirms that racial healing is essential to bridge the divides in communities across this country and the world. Coming together in conversations based on truth-telling, acknowledging our history and present-day harms as a result — all of this lays the groundwork for collective action. When we begin with racial healing, we gather the strength to significantly change systems and create communities in which children not only feel safe, but can thrive.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation envisions and works toward a world in which all children and their families feel that level of safety. As we stand with our Asian and Asian American relatives and communities, we call for honest conversations that acknowledge the painful truth of racialized violence — past and present — and lead to healing action for the future well-being of all our children.