It’s been nearly 30 years since the 1992 LA Riots, but on Sunday afternoon, I found myself at the same Seoul International Park where a previous march was launched to stop the hate and injustice that our two communities found ourselves in. This time, the park was host to the Los Angeles location of the “Stand for APPI Lives Rally” hosted by the Asian American Christian Collaborative.
You can watch the video on Facebook here.
Nearly 5,000 people gathered together across the nation in 14 cities: Atlanta; Austin; Boston; Dallas; Detroit; Houston; Los Angeles; Ellicott City, Maryland; Minneapolis; New York City; San Francisco; Seattle; and Washington, D.C. We gathered to take a stand for AAPI lives, to reflect, lament, and be called to action in light of the Atlanta Massacres two weeks ago.
At the Los Angeles location I attended, Newstory LA Pastor Tom Kang outlined the fourfold purpose for the gathering: process the pain of recent racism, pray for healing, practice repentance, and to proclaim the dignity and sacredness of life. Each of these four purposes were purposefully led by an Asian-American Christian woman: Hyepin Im of Faith and Community Empowerment, Dr. Sharon Kim of CSU Fullerton and the Garden Church, Anh Lin of @girlandtheword, and Dr. Janette Ok of Fuller Seminary and Ekko Church. After each speaker, pastors of diverse church backgrounds led prayers. Finally, the event closed with a call to action by Pastor Harold Kim of Christ Central of Southern California, and the president of the Sola Network.
Here are my observations and thoughts from this event.
1. The crowd was more diverse than I expected it to be
Though it was a very hot day, the crowd was much more diverse than I had anticipated, and it was a genuine joy to see people of various ethnicities and races coming together to stand in solidarity for AAPI lives. It was also encouraging to see that the crowd was not primarily made up of younger adults, but the crowd was multigenerational: Children and grandparents alike were holding signs that said “Asian Lives Matter” and “End Racism”.
2. The voices of Asian American women were powerful
The purposefulness of asking Asian American women to lead each of the prayer sections was powerful. Hyepin Im lamented the aftermath of the media coverage and the minimization, marginalization, and even demonization of the women that were murdered. Because of these kinds of portrayals, families of the victims were not comfortable with having their names read. This was so sobering to hear. “When will we be heard? When will we be seen?”
Dr. Sharon Kim advocated for how we heal. She encouraged us to tell our stories, speak about our experiences, and not to bury our pain. As Asian Americans, we are often told not to rock the boat, but we cannot allow hate against us to produce hate within us. She encouraged us to “surrender our pain, extend forgiveness, and find healing.”
Anh Lin encouraged repentance that starts at a personal level, as the model minority myth has caused many of us to consider “Whiteness” to be superior to our own Asian identities. We must repent of that idolatry, and learn to embrace the image of God that is reflected in our ethnicity and race. Repentance is the opposite of revenge, and we must set aside the prejudices that exist within us, and trust in God as our ultimate avenger.
Dr. Jannette Ok proclaimed the sanctity of AAPI lives, and repudiated the violence, racism, and misogyny that has been poured out at our community, and proclaimed over us the Word of God that shows to us the God who sees us and gives to us our dignity. We don’t need to be exceptional and emulate whiteness in order to be seen and honored. Our identity doesn’t come from public acceptance, but rather, it comes from God who designed us and knows us. Promoting and standing for the AAPI lives is part of the gospel work of lifting up the name of Jesus in our communities.
3. We must continue to take a stand together; the work is not finished
As I write this, two more videos of Asian Americans being attacked in New York have been shared with me via social media. In one, an older 65-year-old Asian woman was on her way to church when a man yells at her: “F**k you, you don’t belong here!” He then brutally knocks her down and kicks her repeatedly, while indifferent and uncaring security guards watch on and then close the door as she lays motionless on the floor outside.
Strong emotions rise up as I see Asians being attacked, and it is easy to point blame. But I’m reminded of just how much we need to address the racism outside of us and inside of us. May the Lord have mercy on us as we continue to pray and take a stand for our Asian American communities and denounce the racism against us.
