'Solidarity in Columbus': Asian Americans call for rally, support in wake of Atlanta attack

Enraged by the killing of eight people — including six Asian American women — in three Atlanta-area massage businesses on Tuesday, Columbus residents Linh Ta, Miki Gotoh and others have called for community action and shared solidarity. 

Suspect Robert Aaron Long, a 21-year-old from Woodstock, Georgia, has been charged with multiple counts of murder and a charge of aggravated assault.  Authorities are still looking into whether this was a hate crime.

Following the shootings, Gotoh, 45, and Ta, 44, have organized a rally to mourn the lives of those involved in the massacre and highlight the targeting of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA), the Ohio Chinese American Association (OCAA) and the Asian Pacific American Advocates - Columbus group have partnered with Ta and Gotoh for the the CommUNITY Collective, #StopAsianHate event.

The rally will take place at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Bicentennial Park along the Scioto Mile. Ta said the hope is to forge various community members together for the rally, not just members of the Asian community. 

"It's not just about Asians, we want solidarity in Columbus," she said.

Gotoh said Tuesday's shootings are reflective of the increase in anti-Asian acts. 

"It's a real fear that because I look the way I do I can be hunted because of that," she said.

On Tuesday, Stop AAPI Hate, a nonprofit organization that tracks incidents of hate and discrimination against AAPI members, released data revealing nearly 3,800 anti-Asian hate incidents have been reported from March 19, 2020, to February 28.

Women made up roughly 68%, compared to men, who made up 29% of respondents. And since the start of 2021, the organization has reported more than 500 racially-motivated hate attacks.

When asked about increases in Asian American attacks earlier this month, a Columbus police spokesperson said the department isn't aware of an uptick in local incidents.

Sam Shim, founder of the AAPI Caucus of the Ohio Democratic Party and the Asian and Pacific Islander Alumni Society at Ohio State University, said these attacks have been largely perpetuated by the country's political leaders.

For several weeks, Asian Americans have questioned how to deal with a recent wave of assaults — many on the elderly — that have coincided with the pandemic. The virus was first identified in China, and former President Donald Trump and others have used racial terms to describe it.

With the use of such rhetoric, Shim said it's led to a rise in these targeted attacks. 

"A lot of people aren't aware of the level of anti-Asian hate and xenophobia going on in the country," he said. "It's important to let our entire community know that these acts are happening everywhere." 

While anti-Asian attacks have risen during the pandemic, Dublin resident Dr. Anita Somani said they have been happening long before the outbreak. 

Somani, 58, originally from India, reflected on past hate crimes such as the Emanuel AME Church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015, and the increase of xenophobia after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, among other incidents. 

The Dublin resident also criticized authorities investigating the Atlanta massacre, citing a comment from Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Jay Baker, who said about the gunman, "It was a really bad day for him.” The comment appeared to be a "pass," she said, one that could lead to similar occurrences in the future.

Baker is no longer a spokesman for the case.

"It implicitly gives permission for people to continue to hate," Somani said. "It gives them the idea that it's OK to do these things because I'm white."

Given the damage white supremacists and other hate groups have caused in this country, Somani said these tragedies call for minority groups to come together.

"When you start to divide groups up, it becomes more prevalent," she said. "I think that as people of color, we all need to come together as a bigger community to effectively protest or come up with solutions to end racism."

With the overwhelming wave of racism and hate crimes Black, Latino and other minority groups have faced, Vincent Wang, who serves as national president of the APAPA and chair of the OCAA, said they need to come together to push messages of peace and hope. 

"At this moment we should condemn the violence and increase the understanding of each other's pain," Wang said. "We are in this challenge together and we need to stand together, rather than tear down each other."

Shim said the forming of events such as the CommUNITY Collective and others are important in forging this widespread effort, which will lead to the ending of these race-driven attacks.

"Silence is not an option," he said. "We need our allies to speak up everywhere. It shouldn't come from just the Asian community, it should come from all Americans."

While still planning Saturday's rally, Ta and Gotoh said the assembling of community members and public officials will be needed in order to achieve action items and long-term progression.

"It's not a one-and-done event, this conversation has to continue," Ta said. "So we're opening up dialogue for it to continue."

– The Columbus Dispatch

The Associated Press contributed to this story

Gahanna opera singer Christopher Humbert Jr. participating in prestigious emerging artists program

From an early age, Christopher Humbert Jr.'s life has revolved around his musical gifts.

Starting out playing the piano at age 4, Humbert soon began participating in school marching bands, choirs and musicals in his native Akron, where he honed his abilities as a vocalist and recognized his love for musical theater. 

"I don't think I found opera, I think opera found me," Humbert, 23, said. "I feel like I've always been involved in music and it's always been something that's defined what I am. It's just been in my blood since I've been young. But opera was the one thing that was given to me."

Humbert, a 2019 graduate of Capital University in Bexley, credits several faculty members for shaping his career, particularly Joshua Borths, director of Opera and Musical Theatre at the university. It was Borths who placed Humbert in his first leading role in his first opera, "Dido and Aeneas."

At Capital, Humbert also performed in Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Mikado,” Cole Porter’s musical “Kiss Me, Kate" and Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” and “A Little Night Music.” But beyond Humbert's transcendent talent, Borths said the singer is backed by a great personality and an undying curiosity of the world around him.

"Based on all those factors, I think the sky's the limit," Borths said. "I think (Humbert) is in a phenomenal position where he can really have the career he wants."

With the guidance of Borths and others, the bass-baritone singer plans to pursue an international career. 

Now at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee earning a masters in opera, the Gahanna resident recently was accepted into the Benenson Young Artist Program of Palm Beach Opera in Florida. 

As part of the five-month residency at Benenson, singers who have completed a bachelor's or graduate degree are selected from among hundreds of applicants to learn from experienced instructors, cover (be an understudy) for world-renowned opera singers and gain experience in professional productions.

Jim Barbato, 39, director of artistic administration for the Palm Beach Opera, said the goal is to mold each singer into becoming a star on international opera stages.

Last year, the opera house received more than 600 applications, and Humbert was one of 12 selected for the program. But Humbert's placement into the residency was an unorthodox one, Humbert said, as he never auditioned for his spot. 

Barbato said most applicants audition nearly a year ahead of the program's start in January, but after taking note of Humbert's abilities last year, he and others sought out the vocalist. 

Barbato said he notified Humbert of the offer in late November, as the organization was focused on landing "the best singer to handle these important and challenging assignments." 

Since Humbert started the program in January (because of COVID, the residency was shortened this year), Barbato said his "enriched and astounding quality of voice" has stood out.

"(Humbert) is a major talent and we are thrilled he joined us this year," Barbato said. "I think he's got a big career ahead of him." 

The young artist said the most exciting part about the program is covering for international opera singers Ryan Speedo Green and Morris Robinson. 

"When I knew I'd have a chance to sing under them and work with them, I was really ecstatic about it," Humbert said. "I had a really hard time realizing this was happening, but despite the disbelief, I had another part of me saying, 'Oh, am I ready for this?'" 

Humbert will cover Green in Palm Beach Opera’s production of "La Boheme," and will cover both Green and Robinson in the company's production of "Die Zauberflote." He also will perform in the Young Artist production of Bellini's "I Capuleti e i Montecchi."

Johnathon Pape, a professor of opera at the Boston Conservatory, said the program could be a life-changer for Humbert. With him rubbing shoulders with respected professionals in the industry, Pape is confident the experience will help jumpstart his young career.

"He has a world-class voice," Pape said. "There are lots of people with good voices, but this is a voice that will work on the biggest stages (in) the world like the (Metropolitan Opera), the La Scala in Milan and the Paris Opera. He's young and he needs some seasoning still, but in terms of career potential, it's great."

While Humbert has continued to receive acknowledgment and support for his musical abilities, he said his mother, Karen Montgomery, has continued to keep him centered. 

"She's always been a great home base for me, and she helps really ground me," he said. "A lot of these opportunities seem to be happening so fast in my career right now, and it's like everything is pushing me to the next level. I'm reminded that I'm still a person outside of my art form, and that's been a great balance to have."

With Humbert being raised in a single-parent household, Montgomery said there were times when she had to work two jobs to support her son's lofty aspirations. But as he has traveled across the country and garnered acclaim for his abilities, she said it's important he embraces each of these moments.

"I want him to live life to the fullest; grab every opportunity and know that I am behind him 100%," she said. "I am his biggest fan and I will always be there to support him."

After completing the Young Artist program on April 11, Humbert will return to Gahanna to finish out his semester at the Boston Conservatory and work with Opera Columbus for the production of "Don Giovanni" from April 30 to May 2.

Julia Noulin-Merat, CEO and general director of Opera Columbus said she is thrilled to have Humbert on board for the upcoming production. She said the singer has become a "company favorite" due to his immense talent and dedication to the craft. 

"He has such an amazing and unique voice and is such a hardworking artist, which I think people will appreciate," she said. "He's an absolute pleasure to collaborate with and we're excited to have him."

And as he continues to make progressive steps in his budding career, Humbert said he wants to inspire other young, Black artists to explore their musical gifts. 

Luckily, Humbert said he was surrounded by other musicians of color during his time at Akron's Firestone Community Learning Center in high school. Unlike other career interests, musical theater is not voiced as a potential option for many people of color, he said.

Humbert said that until last year he wasn't aware of Black opera singers, such as Marian Anderson, who have played at the Metropolitan Opera. The young artist said he plans to start a nonprofit organization that travels to area schools to teach and mentor students who want to learn more about music. 

"So often, I think we're told we only have these options; we only have these methods to make a living (and) express ourselves as Black people in America," Humbert said.

"If I can do this and come from my background, I can show people that there is another way. This is an art form that's so beautiful and representative of so many things we have going on in our lives, so why not pursue it and express it?"

– The Columbus Dispatch

Local sportswriter driven by faith to help high school athletes reach their dreams

Zach Fleer covers high school basketball for 270 Hoops, a website that highlights rising stars in the local high school basketball ranks, but his work with central Ohio youth doesn't end at game coverage.

The Columbus native has used the relationships he's built with coaches and scouts to help hundreds of local students earn athletic scholarships from schools at all levels of college athletics. 

"I understood basketball could be used as a platform for a lot of these kids to become the first person in their family to go to college, to get an education and use it as a tool to better their lives," said Fleer, 28.

Along with placing the city's most-talented players on the 270 Hoops website and social media accounts, Fleer has held showcases for players to gain additional exposure and helped several students pay for ACT tests to qualify for college enrollment.

Former Northland High School player Willy Mfum said that after Fleer covered one of his games, the 6-foot-2 guard received offers from Youngstown State University, Detroit Mercy, Robert Morris University and others before landing at South Dakota State University this season.

Mfum, 19, said Fleer advocated for him and other players to ensure they have a chance to reach their athletic aspirations.

"He's more about helping others than himself," Mfum said. "He doesn't worry about himself, he's just trying to help the kids from the city that's really in need."

Along with his athletic pursuits, Mfum has maintained a relationship with Fleer. Since moving to South Dakota, Mfum has reached out to him about his struggles with the transition. 

"I had a couple of struggles through basketball and he told me to stay focused, like I got this," he said. "Zach is like a real big brother."

While Fleer hasn't maintained connections with as many current players this year as he has in years past because of the growing age gap, he said it's important to continue forging those relationships.

Like many of the athletes he covers, Fleer grew up poor on the city's west and southwest sides.

With his mom out of work due to a serious back injury, Fleer's father was forced to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. And after his family filed for bankruptcy, Fleer quit baseball his senior year at Central Crossing High School to work 30 hours a week as a host and busboy at O'Charleys.

Having had these experiences, Fleer said, he's driven to help young athletes become the first person in their families to receive a college degree — just as he was. 

Jason Morrow, who founded 270 Hoops with Fleer in 2015, has been friends with his partner since high school. He said Fleer's passion genuinely is around fostering the kids' success.

Morrow said there are a lot of "bad actors" hanging around high school athletics, people who take credit when an athlete receives a scholarship. But Fleer isn't one of them, he said.

"For him, it's not so much about wearing a lapel saying, 'I've gotten so many kids to college,'" Morrow said. "It's just about the next person he can help."

Fleer said this desire to be of service has grown since finding God and connecting further with his Christian faith in April 2020 as he had more time to reflect at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"Since I gave my life to Christ, I've really understood my identity," he said. "I'm a child of God that covers basketball, not just someone who covers basketball."

Fleer said this level of support takes a village, and there needs to be more people willing to do what he and Morrow do for young athletes. 

Going forward, Fleer and Morrow are working to establish more events and showcases under 270 Hoops, with the goal to find more of the city's hidden gems. 

On a personal level, Fleer said he will continue growing in his faith and push others to help fulfill the dreams of high school athletes in central Ohio.

– The Columbus Dispatch