Just a day before the 2023 Lunar New Year, Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, CA was struck by the mass shooting that sent shock waves across the nation. Celebrations stopped. 11 people killed. Families were rapidly trying to find their loved ones. A day that was supposed to be filled with excitement, hopefulness, and joy turned into one of the most tragic events that Monterey Park has ever seen.

It’s been approximately three weeks since the shooting and so much has been addressed since: what happened, who did it, who the victims were, and more. Although we now know all these details, none of it takes away from the hurt and loss that these 11 families and their community has gone through.

This shooting has brought people together to mourn and now advocate against gun violence throughout the country. Juily Phun, whose aunt was killed in the shooting, and Brandon Tsay, the local hero who unarmed the gunman, were invited to the State of the Union on Feb. 7 where President Biden looked to create new gun control laws.

Phun spoke to interviewers hoping to resonate with other people in the community. She talked about her aunt and the kind of person she was. She hopes that in light of all of this, people will begin to advocate for the AAPI community so that this tragedy will never happen again.

Tsay gave a speech at the State of the Union and talked about the aftermath of all of this as well as being labeled a hero. Tsay spoke about the anxiety and fear that he has lived with since the shooting happened. He has since been able to seek therapy for his mental health.

Brandon Tsay saved a lot more lives that night without hesitation. He continues to bring light in this dark time showing that there’s a hero in all of us.

He closed his speech saying, “You might not know this, but there’s actually courage in all of us. And that courage may come to you at any mo-

ment.”

GoFundMe pages for the victims’ families have reached a total of over $1 million. Although their pages are now closed from donations, there are many other organizations to reach out and donate to who continue to help AAPI communities.