ATLANTA — Communities are coming together this weekend to remember the victims of the Atlanta spa shootings nearly one year ago.
On March 16th, 2021, Robert Aaron Long killed eight people at three different spas in Acworth and Atlanta.
Long took a plea deal in Cherokee County, but as his case continues to move through the courts in Fulton County, there's a strong push to remember the victims of his crimes.
"We are holding this event to bring our community together and hold a space for healing for our community. And also to honor the lives that were lost last year", said Phi Nguyen, the Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice.
She says it's been difficult for people to fully mourn the lives lost at the spas in Cherokee and Fulton Counties last year.
"I think one part of moving forward is finding a place to come together for us to collectively grieve. Because I don't think that we have had that quiet space and the space to come together and take a pause and reflect on the ways we can hold each other and continue to take care of each other", she said.
Six of the eight people killed in the attack were of Asian descent, and Nguyen says the firestorm of media that followed was difficult for a lot of people.
Atlanta spa shooting victims
"At the time of the shootings last year, we were just inundated, and we were all holding a lot, it was frenzied. And so I think that just being able to take a breath is going to be important for us," she said.
Aisha Yaqoob Mahmood is the Executive Director for the Asian American Advocacy Fund and she is grateful many people have tried to support the families of the victims.
"I went to one of the funerals and I was struck by how inherently community-oriented they were. There were so many family members from all walks of life there to grieve the victim", she said. "In the wake of March 16th, we saw so much respect and support and ally-ship from other black and brown communities and I just want people to remember we are eternally grateful for their support but we have to keep showing up when things happen in their communities and that we continue to fight together against injustice and racism."
They say they will take March 16th as a day of silence to give respect and honor to the victims and their families.