Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’” Matthew 21:12-13
In the wake of the horrendous killings of eight people in Atlanta recently, six of whom were Asian women, I am devastated over the loss of lives. I am outraged that the local authorities deemed the killer as having a “bad day”. I am frustrated that the murderer’s crime is reduced to a sex addict ridding himself of temptation. And I am concerned that the slaying of these precious lives may not be viewed as the racist, sexist hate crime that it is.
When taken into context, these brutal murders are the culmination of the past 170 years in US history of abuse, discrimination, and violence against Asian Americans that began with the mistreatment of Chinese workers in the 1850’s. In 1854, a California Supreme Court ruling (People v. Hall) allowed white people to perpetrate crimes against Asians with impunity. The Page Act of 1875 prohibited Chinese women from entering the US for fear they were prostitutes. The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act banned immigration altogether from China for 20 years. During World War II, internment camps housed Japanese Americans on the pretense that they were spies. Other horrors have been perpetrated against Asians here in the US, including massacres and lynchings.
Today, the abuse continues as Asians are scapegoated as the supposed source of the coronavirus. When rhetoric like “the China virus” or “kung flu” permeates the airwaves and feeds social media, it is no coincidence that violence, verbal abuse, and other atrocities against Asian Americans is up 150% during this pandemic.
Historically, racial minorities have been and continue to be blamed for crimes committed against them. During the breaking news of the Atlanta shootings, the perpetrator of this heinous crime was portrayed as someone who was seemingly justified for annihilating his sexual temptation. Along with local authorities, he blames the victims and in doing so, repudiates any responsibility for permanently destroying these cherished lives.
The killer grew up actively involved in his church and was a member of the youth group. At the time of this writing, the church is expunging the murderer from their rolls. But they cannot erase him from their memories any more than the victims’ families and friends can erase this horrific crime and monumental loss from theirs.
Why aren’t churches having conversations and sermons around racism, sexism, and xenophobia? Why aren’t churches teaching on the sanctity of all life and the sins of marginalization and dehumanization? Why are so many churches silent?
It is clear from Scripture that all people are created in the image of God and that God has a heart for the oppressed. Yet we continue to see people of color and women marginalized and dehumanized. While these murders in Atlanta were perpetrated by one individual, this act of terrorism is part of systemic racism and sexism that permeates our society. Ignoring the larger context creates horrific situations that will repeat themselves. Our silence allows these insidious belief systems to proliferate, causing damage to those created in God’s image.
In our key verses, Jesus has just entered Jerusalem triumphantly on what we celebrate as Palm Sunday. Straightaway, He goes to the temple to the outer court of the Gentiles. In anger, Jesus overturns the tables of the moneychangers and those who sell animals for temple sacrifice. His righteous anger is in response to the corruption He finds there where huge amounts of money are made by those who extort the poor. Jesus’ response was swift.
What is our response in the wake of these killings? Are we angry that violence and discrimination are perpetrated on our Asian siblings? Do we lament the pain and suffering endured by the Asian community?
Anger over injustice is not sinful. Lament over suffering is not purposeless. Together, anger and lament can spur us to action, to stand up for what is true, right, and noble, to stand in solidarity with our Asian siblings, and to unravel the threads of complicity that we partake in when we remain silent.
We lament by grieving the loss of these precious lives. We recognize that as part of a racist, sexist society, we are corporately guilty. We confess our sins of commission where our words and deeds perpetuate racism and sexism. We confess our sins of omission where we stayed silent and did not call out the racism and sexism in our midst. And we stop blaming the victims for the crimes perpetrated against them. Taking responsibility through true lament, compassion, and confession is the only way to win the blame game.
What can we do practically? We can pray for healing for the victims’ families and friends and even contribute to fundraisers for them. Going forward, we can call out racist, sexist rhetoric and “jokes” when in conversation with others or on social media. We can support local Asian American businesses. We can learn from and contribute to organizations who are trying to make a difference, like the Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC Inc.), Asian American Christian Collaborative, Chinese for Affirmative Action, and Stop AAPI Hate. (See links below.)
In Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that we are all in this together. There is no room for injustice.
For a sobering, impactful video, watch A Call for Solidarity by Asian American Faith Leaders at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKd7Xoxf3JE&ab_channel=AsianAmericanFaithLeaders.
The video closes with these statements from the Asian community: “We will not be silent. Raise your voice. We belong. Stand with us.” Amen.
Compassionate God, how Your heart must break over violence against those You created in Your image. Open my eyes to the ways I am complicit in structural racism and sexism and give me the courage to take action to dismantle it. Help me stand in the gap for my Asian siblings and for other people of color who are treated unfairly. May I follow the example of Jesus in answering Your call for justice and change in the midst of this fallen world. Amen.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC Inc.): https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/
Asian American Christian Collaborative:
https://www.asianamericanchristiancollaborative.com/
Chinese for Affirmative Action: https://caasf.org/
Stop AAPI Hate: https://stopaapihate.org/
Text and photograph copyright © 2021 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of white tulips at Keukenhof, The Netherlands. White tulips signify both condolences and apologies, or this case, sorrow over the deaths of these Asian women and lament and confession over our complicity in systemic racism and sexism. White is also the color of choice worn by the suffragists a century ago and by female lawmakers in Congress more recently.
Not a subscriber to the blog posts? Click here to subscribe.
A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE: Becoming antiracist is a journey. Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice. Click here to learn more.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
In the wake of the horrendous killings of eight people in Atlanta recently, six of whom were Asian women, I am devastated over the loss of lives. I am outraged that the local authorities deemed the killer as having a “bad day”. I am frustrated that the murderer’s crime is reduced to a sex addict ridding himself of temptation. And I am concerned that the slaying of these precious lives may not be viewed as the racist, sexist hate crime that it is.
When taken into context, these brutal murders are the culmination of the past 170 years in US history of abuse, discrimination, and violence against Asian Americans that began with the mistreatment of Chinese workers in the 1850’s. In 1854, a California Supreme Court ruling (People v. Hall) allowed white people to perpetrate crimes against Asians with impunity. The Page Act of 1875 prohibited Chinese women from entering the US for fear they were prostitutes. The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act banned immigration altogether from China for 20 years. During World War II, internment camps housed Japanese Americans on the pretense that they were spies. Other horrors have been perpetrated against Asians here in the US, including massacres and lynchings.
Today, the abuse continues as Asians are scapegoated as the supposed source of the coronavirus. When rhetoric like “the China virus” or “kung flu” permeates the airwaves and feeds social media, it is no coincidence that violence, verbal abuse, and other atrocities against Asian Americans is up 150% during this pandemic.
Historically, racial minorities have been and continue to be blamed for crimes committed against them. During the breaking news of the Atlanta shootings, the perpetrator of this heinous crime was portrayed as someone who was seemingly justified for annihilating his sexual temptation. Along with local authorities, he blames the victims and in doing so, repudiates any responsibility for permanently destroying these cherished lives.
The killer grew up actively involved in his church and was a member of the youth group. At the time of this writing, the church is expunging the murderer from their rolls. But they cannot erase him from their memories any more than the victims’ families and friends can erase this horrific crime and monumental loss from theirs.
Why aren’t churches having conversations and sermons around racism, sexism, and xenophobia? Why aren’t churches teaching on the sanctity of all life and the sins of marginalization and dehumanization? Why are so many churches silent?
It is clear from Scripture that all people are created in the image of God and that God has a heart for the oppressed. Yet we continue to see people of color and women marginalized and dehumanized. While these murders in Atlanta were perpetrated by one individual, this act of terrorism is part of systemic racism and sexism that permeates our society. Ignoring the larger context creates horrific situations that will repeat themselves. Our silence allows these insidious belief systems to proliferate, causing damage to those created in God’s image.
In our key verses, Jesus has just entered Jerusalem triumphantly on what we celebrate as Palm Sunday. Straightaway, He goes to the temple to the outer court of the Gentiles. In anger, Jesus overturns the tables of the moneychangers and those who sell animals for temple sacrifice. His righteous anger is in response to the corruption He finds there where huge amounts of money are made by those who extort the poor. Jesus’ response was swift.
What is our response in the wake of these killings? Are we angry that violence and discrimination are perpetrated on our Asian siblings? Do we lament the pain and suffering endured by the Asian community?
Anger over injustice is not sinful. Lament over suffering is not purposeless. Together, anger and lament can spur us to action, to stand up for what is true, right, and noble, to stand in solidarity with our Asian siblings, and to unravel the threads of complicity that we partake in when we remain silent.
We lament by grieving the loss of these precious lives. We recognize that as part of a racist, sexist society, we are corporately guilty. We confess our sins of commission where our words and deeds perpetuate racism and sexism. We confess our sins of omission where we stayed silent and did not call out the racism and sexism in our midst. And we stop blaming the victims for the crimes perpetrated against them. Taking responsibility through true lament, compassion, and confession is the only way to win the blame game.
What can we do practically? We can pray for healing for the victims’ families and friends and even contribute to fundraisers for them. Going forward, we can call out racist, sexist rhetoric and “jokes” when in conversation with others or on social media. We can support local Asian American businesses. We can learn from and contribute to organizations who are trying to make a difference, like the Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC Inc.), Asian American Christian Collaborative, Chinese for Affirmative Action, and Stop AAPI Hate. (See links below.)
In Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that we are all in this together. There is no room for injustice.
For a sobering, impactful video, watch A Call for Solidarity by Asian American Faith Leaders at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKd7Xoxf3JE&ab_channel=AsianAmericanFaithLeaders.
The video closes with these statements from the Asian community: “We will not be silent. Raise your voice. We belong. Stand with us.” Amen.
Compassionate God, how Your heart must break over violence against those You created in Your image. Open my eyes to the ways I am complicit in structural racism and sexism and give me the courage to take action to dismantle it. Help me stand in the gap for my Asian siblings and for other people of color who are treated unfairly. May I follow the example of Jesus in answering Your call for justice and change in the midst of this fallen world. Amen.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC Inc.): https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/
Asian American Christian Collaborative:
https://www.asianamericanchristiancollaborative.com/
Chinese for Affirmative Action: https://caasf.org/
Stop AAPI Hate: https://stopaapihate.org/
Text and photograph copyright © 2021 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of white tulips at Keukenhof, The Netherlands. White tulips signify both condolences and apologies, or this case, sorrow over the deaths of these Asian women and lament and confession over our complicity in systemic racism and sexism. White is also the color of choice worn by the suffragists a century ago and by female lawmakers in Congress more recently.
Not a subscriber to the blog posts? Click here to subscribe.
A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE: Becoming antiracist is a journey. Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice. Click here to learn more.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
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