It is with deep sadness that we mourn Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, and Yong Ae Yue who were murdered last week in Atlanta, Georgia. The tragic loss of these lives and the increasing acts of hate and violence against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community are abhorrent reminders of the racism and xenophobia that persist in our country.
Strathmore deplores violence directed towards any element of our community. We stand united with our AAPI neighbors, artists, colleagues, patrons, and friends, especially the students and families of our Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras and Strathmore Children’s Chorus, against all forms of bigotry and abuse. As we reel from the injustice we have seen enacted against people of color and from the trauma of the pandemic, it is imperative that Strathmore speak out against violence and racism and that we work to restore well-being, equity, and unity through the arts. We cannot bear silent witness when the creative potential of any life is demeaned, threatened, or extinguished. We must be exuberant advocates for social justice and healing for our entire community, nothing less.
Monica Jeffries Hazangeles
President and CEO