A group of people who traditionally retire to the background of public life came out in force on Saturday afternoon to hold a vigil in protest of violence against Asians in the U.S., in particular the six women of Asian descent shot to death in Georgia on March 16. Nearly 300 people assembled on the corner of State and Anapamu streets in downtown Santa Barbara, at a spot known as "Speaker's Corner," though no speeches were made. The silent crowd instead created a powerful presence of solidarity and solace, forming a crescent in the shade of the overhanging sycamores and clothed in white, the color of mourning in some Asian countries.
The four organizers — Sharon Hoshida, Juliet Velarde Betita, Karena Jew, and Judy Guillermo-Newton — reflect to a small degree the large part of the world known as Asia, their parents and grandparents coming from Japan, the Philippines, and China. Joining them were Indian Americans, Vietnamese Americans, Thai Americans, and more members of the Asian community, as well as other Santa Barbarans allied in sorrow over the killings and the thousands of assaults against Asians and Asian Americans since the beginning of the pandemic and Donald Trump's repeated conflation of a health crisis with a divisive brand of politics as he named COVID-19 the "China virus" or the "kung flu" to jeering crowds of fans.
An invitation to the vigil went to church groups and to workers at restaurants, massage businesses, and nail salons, about 100 of whom attended, joined by another couple hundred people, many from community activist groups. One of the few audible parts of the vigil was a vibrating gong, struck by Betita, and a shakuhachi bamboo flute, played by Komuso monk Bob Nyosui Sedivy, sounds that organizers intended to bring focus to inner stillness and emotion, while the flute echoed the cries and weeping of loss.