Jeremy Lin tells Asian community not to lose hope after Atlanta-area shooting

• Jeremy Lin encouraged Asian Americans not to lose hope after six Asian women were killed in Georgia.
• Lin has been outspoken against racism and violence against Asians on social media this year.
• The US has seen an uptick in hate crimes against Asians in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jeremy Lin is 'heartbroken' by the recent killing of six Asian women near Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday.

The Chinese American basketball player expressed his grief over Twitter while encouraging other Asian Americans to continue speaking out and fighting against racism.

Lin capped off his message by imploring the Asian American community not to lose hope in the wake of the killings, which saw eight people killed across two different locations; an Asian massage parlor and a spa 30 minutes away. Six of the eight victims were of Asian descent.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an uptick in anti-Asian sentiment and hate crimes over the last year due to the virus's origins in Wuhan, China.

A recent study found reports of hate crimes against Asian Americans increased by 150% during the pandemic. In contrast, hate crimes overall saw a 7% reduction, amplifying the current target on the back of the Asian community. Stop AAPI Hate, a reporting center that has been tracking cases of hate against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders since March 2020, recorded more than 2,800 first-hand accounts of anti-Asian hate in 47 states and DC by last December.

Lin has become a prominent figure for Asian American athletes and non-athletes during his NBA career and has taken a front seat to combat anti-Asian sentiment in American. Lin previously made a social media post in February condemning the racism against Asians and revealed that he'd been called 'coronavirus' by an opponent in the NBA G-League.

Lin later addressed the subject in an NBC Sports Bay area TV special called "Race in America: A Candid Conversation" in February.

"I feel bad for somebody who harbors hate for somebody else, who they've never met, just based on skin color," Lin said in the special. "That makes me want to do something. It makes me want to educate people or speak out and find ways to make a difference. Honestly, it goes almost from anger to heartbreak. Almost like a sadness, but mixed with compassion."

Others have since followed Lin's example, including Los Angeles Dodger's manager Dave Roberts, who was inspired by Lin's actions to send a mass email to Dodgers employees condemning racism against Asians on March 8.

Non-Asian athletes have joined in on the conversation, including LeBron James. He sent his condolences to the entire Asian community on Twitter on Wednesday in the aftermath of the shooting.