PBS doc on Atlanta spa shootings spotlights victims, families and rise of anti-Asian hate

Massage Business Shootings-Lawmakers
Members of Congress and Georgia state representatives pose for a photo outside Gold Spa in Atlanta, one of the businesses hit during the March 16 shootings, Sunday, March 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Sudhin Thanawala)

A new PBS documentary premieres this month that pays tribute to the eight victims of the Atlanta spa shootings. Six of the eight victims killed in March of 2021 were Asian women.

“Rising Against Asian Hate: One Day in March” examines a surge in violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders nationwide.

This comes as pre-trial hearings are also set to begin this month in Fulton County for the accused shooter Robert Aaron Long. Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis has not backed down from seeking the death penalty and enhanced sentencing under Georgia’s new hate crimes law. Long has already pleaded guilty to four murders at Youngs Asian Massage in Acworth.

Director Titi Yu joined WABE’s “Morning Edition” to give more insight about covering the moments that shook Atlanta’s AAPI community. The film premieres on PBS on Oct. 17.

Lily Oppenheimer contributed to this report.