This summer of 2025 has been marked by a deeply troubling rise in targeted violence in and around Minneapolis, underscoring the urgent need for vigilance and solidarity against hate crimes. From the shocking assassinations of State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, and the attempted killing of State Senator John Hoffman and his wife in June, to the string of deadly street shootings across Minneapolis in late August, and culminating in the horrific Annunciation Catholic Church mass shooting that law enforcement investigated the attack as an anti-Catholic hate crime. One violence after another – they show how quickly hatred, extremism, and unchecked violence can shatter lives.
As communities across America grapple with rising tensions and violence, Asian Media Access remains committed to fostering understanding, preventing hate, and building bridges between communities. Since 2021, following the Atlanta spa shootings, 
Asian Media Access has led the Stop Anti-Asian Hate campaign through Facebook and other platforms, lifting up stories, building awareness, and creating space for communities to stand against racism and violence in all its forms. Our Stop Anti-Asian Hate campaign addresses not just individual incidents, but the underlying conditions that allow prejudice to flourish.
For example, AMA Youth Leader – Cody Hoang has taken on initiative to train a group of twenty 14-15 years old BIPOC Youth with a powerful violence prevention workshop, guiding them through discussions about historical and contemporary anti-Asian violence while connecting these experiences to broader patterns of racial injustice. During the session, participants engaged deeply with case studies examining events from the Chinese Exclusion Act to recent COVID hate crimes, then channeled their learning and emotions into creating visual collages that expressed their opposition to violence and commitment to community solidarity. 
These artistic pieces became powerful statements against hate, with youth combining images, text, and personal reflections to demonstrate their understanding of how violence affects all communities of color and their determination to build a more just society.
We urge our community members to stay aware, look out for one another, and continue to speak up against hate wherever it appears. Together, we can foster resilience and solidarity, and ensure that love and community are stronger than fear and violence.
