[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 48 (Wednesday, March 15, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S791-S792]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



              Second Anniversary of Atlanta Spa Shootings

  Mr. WARNOCK. Mr. President, I rise today to reflect on a dark day in 
Georgia. It was 2 years ago today that a hateful act of violence shook 
metropolitan Atlanta and reverberated across our State, our Nation, and 
the world.

[[Page S792]]

  In the span of a few hours, our sense of safety and sanctuary was 
ripped apart by bullets born out of hate and fear--an issue, Mr. 
President, you know very well and have engaged on many sad occasions.
  Two years ago, in Georgia, eight people lost their lives--eight 
people loved by their families, their friends, by their children. They 
should never become numbers or statistics--eight souls, eight people, 
with their own successes and struggles, their hopes and dreams. We 
speak their names: Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong 
Ae Yue, Delaina Ashley Yaun Gonzalez, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, 
and Daoyou Feng.
  My heart aches for these Georgians and for their families, for whom 
these wounds still fester. The comfort provided by a family is still 
not enough to fill the empty seat at the dinner table or those times 
when a family member, out of routine, picks up the phone to dial and 
remembers in the moment that there is nobody on the other end of that 
call.
  As a pastor, I believe in the sacred worth of every human being. I 
believe that we are a mixture of dust and divinity, of sod and sky, 
beauty and possibility. That is why I ask now that everyone who is here 
will join me in a moment of silence. Let us remember these eight 
Georgians and pray for their families.
  (Moment of silence.)
  God, in Your mercy remember them and strengthen us to do the work. 
Amen.
  Importantly, I must mention, this attack was meant to harm Georgia's 
Asian-American community, and especially women of Asian descent. 
Unfortunately, this awful act that happened in Georgia is not isolated 
but, rather, part of the same trend of growing hate and violence which 
has caused pain to so many of us, especially members of the AAPI 
community.
  In recent years, anti-Asian hate crimes have increased 
significantly--more than 300 percent, according to media reports. And, 
at the same time, we have seen acts of hate rise against our Jewish 
brothers and sisters; against our Muslim friends and neighbors; yes, 
against the LGBTQ-plus community and our trans brothers and sisters; 
and against the sense of safety our students have felt at our 
historically Black colleges and universities.
  So I think back to how Georgians charted a path forward for our 
Nation 2 years ago. Two years ago, we came together and reminded each 
other that the only way to face the future is to love one another, to 
be respectful of our different histories, while focused on our shared 
future.
  Georgia's greatest son, that great American, Dr. Martin Luther King, 
Jr., said it best. He said:

       We are tied in a single garment of destiny, caught up in an 
     inescapable network of mutuality. Whatever affects one 
     directly, affects all indirectly.

  That terrible act of violence we witnessed on March 16, 2021, ought 
to remind us that we all have a stake in each other's well-being, that 
it is our duty to stay committed to a peace that recognizes that we are 
in this together.
  So I want to say to my AAPI sisters and brothers, I want to say to 
all of my neighbors that I see you, and I will continue to stand with 
you against hate and against violence.
  So let us continue working together to stop Asian hate, to stop the 
scapegoating that often emerges, sadly, in political speech, and to 
create what Dr. King called the beloved community. It is a community 
where everybody, no matter their skin color, their ethnicity, their 
sexual orientation, their religious background, or if they claim no 
religious tradition at all, can live a life of fulfillment and joy 
without the fear of facing hate and unspeakable violence.
  Let's keep doing the work.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Cortez Masto). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.