Maria Tran had felt the sting of anti-Asian racism before, including the time “an older white gentleman on the street told me to go back to Vietnam” and the many references to “the China virus” by former President Trump.
But the pain and outrage caused by last week’s killing of eight people in Georgia — including six women of Asian descent — was too much for her to bear alone.
On Sunday, she joined scores of others at a vigil and rally at Village Green Park in Garden Grove to protest racially driven hate and violence. The Orange County demonstration was one of several held across California throughout the weekend.
“The shooting this week has harbored some really strong feelings of anger and sadness for me,” said Tran, 25, of Long Beach. “I know my community is hurting as much as I am.”
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