By: Hayat Osman
On Tuesday, March 16, 2021, Xiaojie Tan was one of eight people killed in an Atlanta-area spa shooting. Six victims of the shooting were Asian women. Since the beginning of COVID-19, the amount of hate towards the Asian community has increased tremendously.
Tan, her daughter, and her ex-husband, Micheal Webb, emigrated from China to the U.S. more than fifteen years ago. In 2004, Tan enrolled in nail school to get a license, and become a nail technician. Later on, Tan and her family moved to Marriettta, Georgia where she bought her first nail salon. Eventually, Tan sold the salon and bought two other spas, located in Acworth, Georgia, where Tan’s life was cut short.
The family members, and loved ones of Tan, all described her as a hard working woman who was living the American Dream. With her savings, Tan bought her mom a home in China, and financially supported her daughter through college.
According to Tan’s ex husband Micheal, Tan had been planning to retire soon. In the future she hoped to travel; she wanted to visit Alaska and Europe. Tan Xiaojie’s daughter shared that they were planning to celebrate her mother’s 50th birthday soon, but they never got the chance.
The tragedy of this event reminded many of the true virus of racism and hate in our society that took the lives of many. According to Micheal Webb. “We as a country should be ashamed. If only our country could learn from Xiaojie’s example, the violence and bloodshed and pain might stop.” We as a Nation must stand in solidarity with the Asian community. Stop Asian hate.
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