Because of the conversation around racial injustice and police brutality sparked by the deaths of individuals like Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor, many of us have wrestled with how to better educate ourselves and how to tangibly work towards supporting our Black brothers and sisters.
It can seem overwhelming when we don’t quite know where to begin, and it seems the systemic issues are so much bigger than what we can grasp. But in the midst of the wrestling, I leaned on a dear friend and sister who exemplified effective and intentional allyship to me who was able to help me learn and process.
Joyce Kang has been a voice for and with the Black community long before it took over our social media feeds. Joyce has been speaking out against systemic racism and pleading with the Asian American community to care for our Black friends long before the national wake up happened in 2020.]
As those in her community, including myself, were trying to catch up, she gave us a tangible place to start: having conversations in our own Asian American communities. Joyce took part in the relaunch of the Letters for Black Lives and helped bring a tool for Korean Americans specifically to dialogue about racism and police brutality. I wanted others, particularly in the Asian-American community, to be encouraged and challenged by her passion so I decided to ask her a few questions regarding her experiences.
Soojin Park: Could you share with us what the Letters for Black Lives project is?
Joyce Kang: Letter for Black Lives is an open letter project. Its goal is to provide a multilingual and culturally-aware resource for people to have open and honest conversations with loved ones about the oppression and systemic racism the Black community faces. The purpose of the letters is not to focus on ourselves but to stand in solidarity with the Black community to address racial justice, police violence, and anti-Blackness.
The crowdsourced project started in 2016 to serve as a resource for Asian Americans to speak to older generations about “why Black lives matter to us.” In 2020, the project was revived due to the national conversation surrounding police brutality and a renewed interest in the letter. Those involved in 2016 realized that the letter was being recirculated throughout social media and decided to come back together to develop a new letter to fit the 2020 context and expand its reach. This time around, as of the last count, the 2020 letter has been translated into 56 languages by over 300 volunteers.
Soojin Park: What made you interested in joining this project?
Joyce Kang: The short answer is that I wanted to participate in a larger effort to provide a resource for people to have difficult but necessary conversations. It is critical for us to have these discussions within our own communities, but for many of us, trying to navigate through a conversation while also learning and reflecting ourselves can be intimidating.
The longer answer is that the work of racial justice needs to occur in all the different spheres of our lives. As the national conversation surrounding the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor began, I thought about the weariness, heartbreak, and frustration that the Black community has felt facing institutional and individual racism for generations. A reality that some people were just now recognizing and acknowledging. And as I wrestled with my own frustration of this belated recognition, I hoped that this was an opportunity to engage people. These topics were all over the news, social media, and people wanted to have conversations about it.
As I was considering how to show up in this moment in the different spheres of my life, I came across a social media post explaining that the Letters for Black Lives project was reemerging for a 2020 letter, expanding their existing goal of creating a resource for people to dialogue with their family members and loved ones. My decision to join this online community was, three-fold: I recognized that 1) language barriers can hinder us from having conversations that are already complex and difficult, 2) we need to have these conversations, but many are new to the conversation and do not know where to begin, and 3) we need resources that are contextualized within our community in both English and the family member’s primary language.
I joined the online community, not really sure what to expect, or what I could contribute. But as I got up-to-speed and involved in a couple of initiatives, I joined a group of Korean Americans preparing for the Korean version of the letter. Our aim was to discuss, edit, and translate the Korean letter to make it into the first round of published letters by June 8. Using the template letter as a base, we modified the English version to match our context. We met for live discussions and worked through comment threads to come to a consensus on each edit. Then we translated the letter, considering and debating how to translate every word and sentence so it could flow in Korean. Thanks to people being in multiple time zones, we were able to work around-the-clock, knowing that we had to get the letter out as quickly as possible so that it could be used in a timely manner. It was energizing and exciting to collaborate with a group of people who were united for one purpose: a desire to engage and contribute in some way to help our own communities recognize why Black lives matter.
Soojin Park: How would you encourage fellow Asian Americans to use these Letters as a starting point for conversations in the home, particularly with first-generation family members?
Joyce Kang: First, I want to recognize that Asian Americans are not a monolith and that my encouragement may not be applicable for everyone. But in case it’s helpful to some, I’ll share a couple of thoughts:
- The real work begins after you send your loved ones this letter. Be patient, strategic, and wise in your approach. This letter needs to be only one of numerous conversations that you will have with loved ones, so I encourage you to commit to having ongoing dialogue and engaging for the long haul. I recognize these conversations will likely be awkward and uncomfortable, but it is also a position of privilege to choose to have these conversations instead of having them out of necessity and safety for your family members.
- Listen to and center Black stories. We tried to focus on the struggles of the Black community, not ourselves, in this letter. Honestly, this letter isn’t even the point – which is why I would encou
rage you to seek Black voices as you continue to learn, both in your own research and in what you share with your loved ones. - Self-reflect. Addressing anti-Blackness in our families and community includes self-reflection and addressing anti-Blackness within ourselves. We’ve grown accustomed to anti-Blackness within our communities. For example, how Black people are portrayed in the entertainment and music we absorb. Or the “jokes” we or others in our periphery make. Or the history we were taught. You can also claim to love Black culture or have Black friends, and still be fearful of Black people. You can acknowledge all these things and still benefit from privileges as a non-Black person of color. Take time to self-reflect, uncover biases, and seek out additional resources to continue to self-reflect, unlearn, and relearn.
- And finally, I would say to keep engaging in all of the spheres of your life, on an individual and institutional level. We cannot only care about racism in certain areas of our lives or when it affects us personally. But specific to thinking about our families and communities, we need to do better at calling out deeply embedded anti-Black stereotypes and rhetoric in our community (perpetuated all the while enjoying and appropriating aspects of Black culture). And we need to move towards building relationships, listening to, advocating for, and standing in solidarity with the Black community to address individual and institutional racism. I hope this is just a tiny part of that story.
Soojin Park: Lastly, do you have any words to encourage and challenge the Asian-American Church as we continue to engage the issues surrounding racial injustice?
Joyce Kang: I am not a theologian, a church leader, or an expert in this area, but I believe “doing justice” is foundational to our walk with the Lord. We can pursue justice because our God is just, and Jesus calls us to seek justice and love our neighbors. I would ask the church to reflect on their understanding of what this actually looks like in practice. For example:
- What has justice looked like in the U.S.? Does it imitate the justice that God talks about in His Word?
- What are actionable steps that the body of Christ can take to pursue justice? What can we implement as individual churches to build sustainable efforts to pursue justice? What can we learn from the Black Church, and how can we support our Black brothers and sisters as we engage in issues surrounding racial justice?
- What does it mean to love our neighbors with Christ-like love? For example, how does Christ love? Who are our neighbors? Do we only love the neighbors that meet our criteria or when it’s convenient?
- Are we limiting God by limiting the way we view justice and love our neighbors? What are we willing to sacrifice in order to pursue these things?
And again, while I recognize the Asian American Church and the people who attend Asian American-majority churches are not a monolith, I think we also have an obligation and an opportunity to pursue justice. Here are a few considerations, as a sister-in-Christ who desires the Church to exemplify Christ in this area:
- Partner And Relate – Asian American churches should seek to build partnerships with churches and Christian organizations that are predominantly Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. For example, inviting them to guest preach, teach, and lead worship. Asian American Christians should also seek to build relationships with fellow brothers and sisters who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. The body of Christ is beautiful in its diversity, but this diversity is often not reflected in our personal relationships.
“The impact of racial hierarchy, privilege, and class in society has a substantial impact on the way people interact with one another and value themselves. The church is not immune to this dynamic. You don’t overcome the dignity dynamic simply by believing in Jesus together. … It is the church’s responsibility to find ways to affirm the full humanity — the royal dignity — of all people, especially those whom others are inclined to despise.” (Irwyn L. Ince, The Beautiful Community)
- Listen And Learn – More specifically, given the history of the U.S., we should listen to and learn from Black-led Christian organizations, practitioners, and educators. For example, intentionally seek out these voices as we learn about the history of systemic racism in this country, the role of the Black church and the complicity of the white church, and what racial reconciliation could look like. In particular, I think we should seek to amplify Black sisters’ voices. Not just for women’s ministry events, but for everyone to listen and learn from their lived experiences, perspectives, and expertise.
“If you want to do justice, if you want to love mercy, you’ve got to get proximate to the places and people where injustice is made known. You cannot stay in safe places, in comfortable places. I believe we are called to get proximate to the places in our community where there is poverty and suffering and abuse and neglect.” (Bryan Stevenson, Equal Justice Initiative)
- Show Up – Asian American Christians should seek to partner and build relationships not just within Christian circles, but also find ways to walk alongside and support the community-at-large. For example, Christians should be civically engaged (vote, sign petitions, protest, donate — just to name a few) and speak out against social injustices in the broader community. And churches can offer prayer, distribute water at protests, provide trained counseling, or find other ways to participate with the community.
“[As Christians], we are to critically engage every subject and discipline as salt and light. Light: to illuminate and expose. Salt: to purify and to keep. If you don’t show up… the judgment will be on us for not showing up when we had the Christian liberty to do such. [This Christian liberty] bought by the blood of Christ.” (Christina Edmondson, Truth’s Table)
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Engage – It is especially important for church leaders to be vocal in all the spheres of power and privilege they find themselves in, particularly on systemic issues. For example, speak out against policies and systems that are unjust, speak up for the voiceless and marginalized, and advocate for change.
“A lot of times when we think about racial reconciliation, we’re not thinking of what tangible things we can do outside of lamenting. We can lament and try to get people to change hearts, but we need the legislation also in place while their heart is changing.” (Lisa Fields, Jude 3 Project)
- Internally Reflect – I challenge Asian American churches to call out anti-Blackness and uncover biases within our own leaders and congregation. For example, reflect on which theologians we read and quote, consider whether we elevate certain non-Asian American members over others, and analyze how we decide which organizations and missionaries we support.
“You have to get out of yourself, get out of your own personal biases and prejudices and start checking and examining your heart, and asking God to reveal these biases.” (Latesha Morrison, Be the Bridge)
- Finally, prayer. Prayer is critical in how we, as believers, approach pursuing justice. And yet, I made this my final point and not my first because sometimes we use prayer as a shield for not taking other forms of action. As we pray, we also need to work in practical and tangible ways by the means given to us from God towards justice.
None of these considerations is a quick fix, but a lifelong commitment of a pursuit of justice. I’ve heard people say that on this side of heaven, we will never see a complete end to racism, sexism, ableism, classism, etc. And yet, that doesn’t excuse us from pursuing and engaging on these issues because we are commanded to pursue Biblical justice as followers of Christ. I hope that this moment in time leads to lasting change in the way we engage and do justice as Christians.