COLUMBUS — Less than 40 miles away, the Asian American community in Columbus is still feeling the effects of anti-Asian violence in Bloomington earlier this month.
“The incident that happened in Bloomington break our heart, because this is so close to home," Linda Shi said.
On Jan. 11, a Bloomington woman allegedly stabbed an Indiana University student on a public bus because she was Asian.
A tragedy that caused a lot of pain for Shi.
“It hurt me. I feel pain when I think my daughter could be hurt and attacked simply because I gave her her ethnicity and color of skin," she said.
Shi represents the Indiana chapter of Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs or APAPA.
APAPA along with Columbus city leaders, police and other members of the community rallied at City Hall Thursday.
Their message was simple: speak up and act.
When you see something — a racist joke, an off color remark, an act of violence — don’t be silent.
“We want to say how important love is and we want to make this society more love, no hate and make it better place," Rui Xu said.
Xu attended the rally with her seven and four-year-old daughters.
The Columbus resident says she was overjoyed to see not only members of her community come out to show their support, but allies as well.
“I saw that this is about Asia, but I saw a lot of Americans come to support us too. I feel really warm. I feel not only us care about us, but everyone in the city really cares about us," she said.
This is APAPA Indiana President Linda Shi. She says the recent attack in Bloomington causes her pain — she thinks of what it would be like if it were her daughter in that tragic position. Hear what she says: @wrtv pic.twitter.com/O4wuOtSR7Z
— Nico Pennisi (@nicopennisitv) January 26, 2023
