On the 30-Year Anniversary of the Shooting Death of Latasha Harlins and the History of Tension Between Black and Asian Communities Amidst anti-Asian Violence

30 years ago Latasha Harlins was killed by a Korean-American store owner in Los Angeles, deepening tensions between Black and Asian communities across the U.S. It impacts our cultural discourse today.

Image via Slausongirl.com

The Story of Latasha Harlins

30 years ago Latasha Harlins, a then 15-year-old Black Los Angeles teenager, was killed by Soon Ja Du, a 51-year-old Korean American convenience store owner, an incident that when coupled with the Los Angeles Police Department’s beating of Rodney King a few weeks prior, sparked an outrage that would …