There are so many stories in Scripture where someone is abused, assaulted or oppressed, and God models to us how to center and elevate that person’s story. God has always cared about our stories; in the book of Judges, for example, we read story after story of injustice, including in chapter 19 the assault, rape and murder of an unnamed woman in the streets of Gibeah. It is a horrific murder. When the people of Israel heard about it, they assembled and then in Judges 20:3 the Israelite leaders said “tell us how this awful thing happened.” In other words, they sought out answers first, before they acted. The heinous, unjust killing of a human being demands a weighty response. But first we must listen.

The story in Judges 19 challenges us, as families seeking to raise our children with the heart of God, to ask the victimized community for their point of view. For example, instead of jumping to talk about grace, forgiveness, and reconciliation with our kids, we need to first do the hard work of encouraging our children and ourselves to hear a person’s (or community’s) pain and even rage. This is what happened after the conviction and sentencing of Amber Guyger, a former Dallas police officer who entered 26-year-old Botham Jean’s apartment and fatally shot him. Botham’s brother, Brandt, responded by saying “I forgive you” and the video of Brandt hugging Guyger went viral. However, many missed footage from the rest of the family, including these words from Botham’s mother, Allison Jean: “Forgiveness for us as Christians is a healing for us, but as my husband said, there are consequences. It does not mean that everything else we have suffered has to go unnoticed.” As author and speaker Dorena Williamson argues, “Listening to the entire Jean family offers us a fuller picture of Christianity. In their words and posture towards Guyger and the criminal justice system, we hear calls for both forgiveness and justice. But if we elevate the words of one family member at the expense of another, we run the risk of distorting the gospel.”

READ: THE SHOOTING IN BUFFALO HAPPENED within a Context of Complicity with White Supremacy 

Much of the news today on everything from Black Lives Matter to immigrants, border crossings, anti-Asian racism and more in this country is steered by the dominant voice. But Scripture challenges us to listen to all the voices. We need to gear our attention in the direction of the marginalized voices and make the conscious choice to listen to the experiences of those who have suffered the most pain. In other words, we can control our own attention and focus to hear from those who are most overlooked.

Telling your own story is a God-given right. Every person of every cultural background and heritage has the right to talk about their experiences, struggles, and joys. Whether the person is an immigrant, a Black man, a Native American, a Latina, a second generation Asian American woman, a white person, or someone who is incarcerated, everyone has the right to be understood in the context of what they’ve been through and in the context of their relationships with others—and even more so for their experiences to be heard and believed.

JOIN: FAITH FORUM WITH THE POOR PEOPLE’S CAMPAIGN 

So the next time a racial tragedy headlines on the news, our posture as a race-wise family should be to listen. The next time a Black or Brown person is killed, the next time immigration is described as a “crisis at the border”, or the next time an Asian is the recipient of racist rhetoric, we must challenge our family to first go to people who represent that community and say, “We must do something! So, speak up!”

We must raise children who value people’s stories. Whether they are named or unnamed on the nightly news or in a viral video, whoever the man or woman is, they are made in the image of God. He or she has a story and their life has meaning. As you watch the news on TV or when you know your kids are scrolling through news feeds, challenge yourself and your kids to lean into what the victim’s family and community is saying. Ask them how the voices of people of color might differ from the news organization reporting the story. Ask them to think about how a community of color’s perspective is different from the dominant white community’s response and consider why that is.

It’s only after fully listening and understanding that we can respond. If we have listened to the voices of hurting people of color, I mean really listened, we will challenge ourselves to see the world through their point of view. Current events, including racial tragedies are always complex, and while there is often room for differences in opinions, it’s important to show love to our neighbor by holding space and even being led by their opinion on an issue. True listening and understanding leads to holistic responses that align with real community needs and desires.

When we hold the Bible in one hand and the news in the other, our posture as a race-wise family will be to listen often and well, and to be slow to speak. We will challenge ourselves to hear all the voices in a news story and then respond in ways that are honoring and loving toward those who have been victimized or who are struggling.

Excerpted from The Race-Wise Family. Copyright © 2022 by Helen Lee & Michelle Ami Reyes. Published by WaterBrook, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

Melissa has been on death row for fifteen years for the alleged murder of her two-year-old daughter, Mariah, who fell down a flight of stairs and died of brain injuries two days later. In January 2021, Melissa received her execution date. Melissa’s lawyers believe in her innocence and are working against the odds to get a fresh look at the evidence. The only evidence against Melissa is her confession, which was given under duress after seven hours of police interrogation in the middle of the night. Melissa was pregnant with twins, and instead of being able to grieve her daughter’s death, she was accused of a crime.

The hope is to advocate for a new trial. Last year, a panel of judges on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously overturned her conviction and death sentence, which should have resulted in a new trial. Instead, the State of Texas appealed to all 17 judges on that court, which voted 10-7 to reverse the order, reinstating the conviction and death sentence. The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear the case.  

LISTEN: RLC’s Faith Forum on the Death Penalty

As the lawyers try everything they can, the only option left is the court of public opinion, which is how Melissa’s son, sisters, mother, cousins, and others came to be sitting in our church. We provided a space to screen a film about the case, The State of Texas vs. Melissa, and Sabrina Van Tassel, the film’s director, led a conversation about the current situation. 

The death penalty is complicated. I get that, and many Christians either have really hardened views on the topic or avoid it completely. But we as Christians need to address the topic of the death penalty and have deeply nuanced approaches to it because Scripture takes it seriously. On the one hand, the Bible does speak on capital punishment (Gen 9:6). On the other hand, it says a great deal about the certainty of guilt (Deut 17:6; Num. 35:30), intent (Numbers 35:22-24), and due process (Numbers 35; Deut 17). We cannot just wholesale argue that Scripture permits or prohibits the death penalty. Instead of having a heavy hand bent toward capital punishment, we must weigh the factors of each incident and respond accordingly. 

Capital punishment is a decision that should not be taken lightly. When someone on death row pleads their innocence, we should pay attention and not simply give the system the benefit of the doubt. We should investigate, research, and get involved, especially if it’s a case in our state. Yes, many folks on death row say they’re innocent, but some of them really are. Over 1500 people have been killed on death row since 1976, and at least 186 people who had been wrongly convicted and sentenced to death in the U.S. have now been exonerated and freed. That’s approximately 12%!

READ: Buddy Stouffer’s Execution Was the Last of 2021. Will It Be the Last to Be Proved an Error?

Church, we cannot be silent if an innocent person’s life is at risk. We must raise our voice to demand due process and indisputable evidence of guilt and intent. There are times when we must fight for retrials and new trials. We must be sure. These are image-bearers we’re talking about.

You can sign Death Penalty Action’s petition asking the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and Governor Greg Abbott to watch the film, The State of Texas vs. Melissa (available on Hulu and Amazon Prime). You can also call the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles at 512-404-5852 and Governor Greg Abbott at 512-463-2000 with the message: “Please watch ‘The State of Texas vs. Melissa” and grant her clemency.” 

We are still learning about Melissa’s case. But I encourage you to go to FreeMelissaLucio.org and learn too. Then pray. Pray for God’s justice to be done and for TRUTH to be made clear. God has created the church to be an institution for social good, so we must also put our faith into action while we pray. To advance God’s kingdom on earth and pursue his vision of holistic shalom means we cannot avoid what’s happening on death row. 

Visit FreeMelissaLucio.org to rent the film, host a screening, sign the petition, print fliers to share, and contact the Texas authorities who can halt this injustice. An in-person screening sponsored by Hope Community Church & Death Penalty Action, will be held at 7pm CST on Tuesday, March 8th, at Memorial UMC, 6100 Berkman Dr. in Austin, TX. In honor of International Women’s Day, the film may also be seen for free at FreeMelissaLucio.org on March 7th & 8th.

We can’t just live in our own lane and interact when someone different from us happens to occasionally show up where we live. Instead, we need to step outside our cultural comfort zones and go to where people are at. We need to initiate. 

Most of us don’t like doing this. Whether we’re Brown, Black, or white, we like staying in our bubble and doing things with other people like us. The whole point of a cultural comfort zone is the construction of mental security. By definition it is comfortable, a space where our activities and behaviors fit a routine and pattern that minimizes stress and risk. It’s our happy space, where we feel like we can be ourselves. And making friends with other people on our turf is always easier. 

The problem is that most of the time our cultural comfort zones equate to monocultural communities. Think about your neighborhood, your favorite coffee shop, your school, your go to grocery store, your workplace, your church, or your local park. In these places, if everyone looks like you, talks like you, and is in the same socioeconomic bracket as you, it’s most likely a cultural comfort zone. If everyone enjoys the same activities, throws parties in the same way, and has the same views on friendships, politics, marriage, and punctuality, you are living in a cultural comfort zone. If everyone in your sphere listens to the same pastors and theologians, reads the same books, does the same Bible studies, and watches the same news channel, it’s definitely a cultural comfort zone. 

I’m not here to bash cultural comfort zones or monocultural communities. There’s nothing inherently wrong with a white neighborhood or a Black neighborhood or a Brown neighborhood. I’m not trying to wholesale label the community you live in as good or bad. These kinds of spaces are simply part of our natural state—and there can be beauty in these cultural communities too. But as a follower of Jesus, you have a mandate to make friends with people of other cultures. It’s one the most important changes you can make in your life in pursuit of the vision Jesus has for this world. And if you want to do this, you’re going to have to step outside your cultural comfort zone intentionally. 

I want to add a caveat here, because a community can be multiethnic and still be monocultural. Multiethnic does not automatically translate to multicultural. You might live in a neighborhood or attend a church or be part of a workforce with multiple skin colors present, but if you are all middle class, the odds are that you share more cultural values than differences. Remember that culture, at its core, is a set of stories, and typically, people of similar socioeconomic brackets end up merging their narratives together. This is especially true for wealthy communities, which is where TV shows like Black-ish find their comedic edge. The family in this show, if you have never seen it, has lost some of its traditional African values precisely because they are middle class. 

READ: Asian American Christian Collaborative Statement on the Atlanta Massacre & Ongoing Anti-Asian Hate

So when I suggest you need to step outside your monocultural community, I don’t mean finding someone of a different skin color who happens to live next door to you. I mean finding people with real cultural differences from you. This involves searching out people who hold different values, people who see the world differently than you. When these people do something, your first response will probably be: “Well, I wouldn’t have done it that way.” 

Find those people and make friends with them. 

Having friends of the same cultural background will always be easier. We don’t have to switch gears, and we can just be ourselves. There’s stability and reassurance in these relationships. But this same comfortability can lead to stagnancy when we get too comfortable. We lose the sense of urgency that drives us to meet new people. We become apathetic to the distance that lies between ourselves and other cultural groups. Or we let our imaginations get the best of us and start to fear people we don’t come into regular contact with. 

Many white people feel like they’re in danger around Black or Brown-skinned people, and it’s this feeling of discomfort that leads them to label communities of color as dangerous. It’s not necessarily because the crime rate is high, but simply because the people look different. I once told a white woman that I lived on the east side of Austin, and she instantly said: “Oh my gosh. That’s the barrio. I would never go there.” Barrio is a Spanish word that simply means neighborhood, but when white people use this term, it comes with an implication that it’s a ghetto—a bad place that looks different from our own neighborhood with people of different skin colors and socio-economic backgrounds. If you feel this way, you need to own that and work on deconstructing your fear. As author and social work professor Brené Brown explains, one of the worst things we can do is pretend our fear and uncertainty do not exist. Just because we are nervous or scared doesn’t mean we should ignore those feelings. We should fight to deconstruct our racial prejudices and lean into the discomfort we feel. Increasing our contact with another culture creates a context in which our racial prejudices and false ideas of the other can be challenged and corrected. 

If we want to begin the hard work of forming real cross-cultural friendships in which we don’t make everything about ourselves, we have to break out of our routines, comfort zones, and monocultural spaces to explore uncharted territory.

Taken from Becoming All Things by Michelle Reyes. Copyright © 2021 by Zondervan. Used by permission of Zondervan. www.zondervan.com.

However, many other Christians, including Christians of color, watched in horror as this act of terror unfolded. Beyond the trauma that it caused to many looking on, a number of people found themselves wrestling with how to feel about those bearing the same faith as them yet committing great evil. How are we supposed to talk about this event in which Christian complicity with American nationalism is unquestionable?

Divisions within Christian spaces have become entrenched and fortified over these past four years. We have witnessed the quiet exodus of Black and Brown Christians from evangelical churches. Many Christians of color have even made the choice to no longer identify as evangelical in order to separate and distinguish themselves from a group of Christians who seem largely committed to colorblindness and are unrepentant of their own racist rhetoric and views. Many Christians, who have chosen to speak up against the sins of Christian nationalism have lost friends and jobs, they’ve been shamed and worse. Now countless of us carry the weight of hurt and betrayal for the actions of white Christian nationalists in this country; and, undoubtedly, there is a long road ahead of finding racial healing from these wounds.

It’s for these reasons that it can be easy at times to denounce Christian nationalists and say “those aren’t real Christians.” But many not arrested probably attended church this past Sunday. They read the same Bible we do. They claim to love Jesus with all their heart the way we do as well. As Christians, we are quick to draw lines in the sand among ourselves, but do you think the world cares? Buddhists, Muslims, Atheists and more see us as a united whole. Fundamentalist, progressive, conservative, white, Black and Brown. There is only one Christianity. Despite the pain and the anger that many of us feel for fellow believers, we would do well to better embrace this view too.

READ: Capitol Storm: What Should Come as No Surprise

The more we come to see Christian nationalists as our siblings, the better we will be able to respond to their actions as a body of Christ. In the Bible, Christians are called to a communal faith and this includes communal confession. Nehemiah 1:4-7, for example, states, “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps a covenant of love with those who love you and keep your commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.” Nehemiah uses the language of “we” and confesses the sins of all Israel before God. He doesn’t distance himself from disobedient Israelites. Rather, he owns their wickedness as his own and confesses on their behalf as well as his.

Likewise, Daniel 9:4-7 states, “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps your covenant of love with those who love you and keep your commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land. Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you.” Daniel speaks of Israel’s sins with a collective voice. He doesn’t say “they have been wicked.” Rather, “we have been wicked and have rebelled.”

What if we responded to the events of January 6 like Nehemiah and Daniel? The biblical model of communal confession challenges us to collectively own Christian complicity in the insurrection at the Capitol. Our Christian witness includes confessing the sins of Christian nationalists as our sins because the people of God communally confess sins they didn’t commit. We don’t excuse or condone their behavior. We must still raise our voices to denounce Christian pursuit of power and boldly denounce cycles of violence perpetuated in the name of Jesus. We also seek that justice be given to those involved in last week’s events. Nevertheless, we can still own and apologize to a watching world the sins that our fellow siblings have committed.

I’ll never forget the time a professor at Wheaton College apologized to a group of Germans for the bombing of Kristallnacht. At the time, as a 19-year-old college student, I was confused. Why would this man apologize for America’s actions? I thought to myself, “We were at war, after all.” But I later came to realize how profound his confession was. No, he hadn’t been a soldier during WWII. He had not flown over Leipzig or been personally involved in the bombing. But he understood the gravity and long-term consequences of these actions and its impact on German perceptions of Americans, and he owned that as his own. Our response to fellow siblings in Christ must follow suit.

In these days and weeks following the insurrection, we should pray, “God, we lament the loss of life, those injured, the destruction of property and the terror that was caused on January 6; and may the perpetrators be brought to justice.” We should also pray, “God, forgive us for our idolized view of this nation. Forgive us for those perpetuating the myth of Christian persecution in the U.S. Forgive us for the hateful, racist rhetoric, and violence we have committed.”

Let’s take ownership to right the wrongs of January 6’s insurrection. Let’s collectively clean up this mess, Christians. There are sympathizers around the country. Pastors and congregants alike must denounce Christian violence and nationalism in their respective town and church.

May God purify us as Christians. May God cleanse our churches from the sin, violence and hate of Christian nationalism. May God safeguard each of us from thinking we are above such actions. May each of us own and denounce the sins within the body of Christ.

The killing of Ahmaud Arbery is a modern-day lynching. We even have video proof of how the twenty-five-year-old Black man was gruesomely gunned down on the streets of Brunswick, Georgia, by two white men, Gregory McMichael and his son, Travis. McMichael told investigators he thought Arbery was a burglary suspect and exercised his right to a citizen’s arrest. But footage reveals that they tackled Arbery while he was on a jog and shot him twice with a shotgun.

Their unwarranted actions point to the reality that Black men and women are not safe in this country simply because of the color of their skin. Thankfully, on Thursday, May 6, the perpetrators were arrested for the felony murder and aggravated assault of Ahmaud Arbery. Their accomplice, William Bryan, is also being charged, but has not yet been arrested.

This result speaks to the power of raised voices and an entire community of people demanding justice. I’m celebrating this moment with the Black community, knowing how often a murderer of a Black man or woman has walked free.

But the work does not stop here. I am grateful for many of my fellow Christians who prayed, mourned, and fought against this senseless evil. But Scripture requires even more from followers of Jesus. Lamenting and calling out are only the beginning. Confronting racism and unjust social structures is hard and uncomfortable, but that’s exactly what we must be willing to do. We need to stare racism in the face and boldly change the future to ensure horrors like Arbery’s killing are less likely to happen again.

1. Relinquish Power over the Narrative

Scripture tells many stories of someone being abused, assaulted, or oppressed, and justice is given by allowing their story to be heard. God has always cared about our stories; God’s commitment to narrative justice flows through the book of Judges. It tells story after story of injustice, including the assault, rape, and murder of an unnamed woman in Judges 19. It is a horrific murder much like Arbery’s, and when the people of Israel learn of it, they respond, “We must do something! So speak up!” (v. 30b, NIV).

The heinous, unjust killing of a human being demands a weighty response. But first we must listen.

If suffering isn’t personal, we can become apathetic or even antagonistic to it. How many times has a Black man or woman been killed in our country without the Church pausing to mourn their death? How many times has the Black community cried out to be heard, only to be met with replies like, “But not all white people are racist,” or “But do you really know the facts?” or “Did you know they had a criminal record?”

An entire community is suffering under the weight of grief because the loss of Botham Jean, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Treyvon Martin, Philando Castile, Terrance Franklin, De’Von Bailey, Walter Scott, and so many more are all too near. Even in Ahmaud Arbery’s case, true justice would be for him to be alive and celebrating his recent birthday

instead of being a hashtag. Yet racism has become so ingrained in our society that we are hardwired to harden our hearts when we hear about another shooting.

We need to get out of our heads and relinquish the power we have to control the narrative about Black bodies in this country. Instead of silencing the voices of the Black community, we need them to guide us. What if we asked the Black community how they are processing the death of Ahmaud Arbery? What if, instead of jumping to talk about grace, forgiveness, and reconciliation, we actually do the hard work of hearing their rage and their pain? What if, instead of redirecting the conversation to black-on-black crime or questioning whether race had anything to do with such tragedies, we opened our hearts, embraced their stories and trauma as our own, and learned to mourn with those who mourn?

We cannot begin to deconstruct racism in this country if we are not first going to the Black community and saying, “We must do something! So speak up!”

Internalize the voices and pleas of the Black community. Respond in ways they want us to respond. Keep saying Ahmaud Arbery’s name and care about his story. Recount the long history of abuse and victimization of Black men and women in this country.

Relinquish, listen, and remember.

READ: Three Ways Your Church Can Combat the Incarnation of ‘Race’

2. Resource Efforts Towards Justice

Part of how we take a stand against racism is also with our wallets. There is an ugly economic side to the abuse and killing of people of color. Not only does Ahmaud Arbery’s family have to navigate trauma and grief, but their pursuit of justice comes at a financial cost. Lawyers, legal fees, and grand jury processes require time and money. If we prayed for the grand jury to charge the McMichaels, we should also be willing to give resources to help the financially-stricken Arbery family.

The fight against racism has a monetary cost. Money played a role in giving justice a chance, and part of the way we seek the holistic restoration of all peoples is financially supporting them in times like these.

We find an unlikely model for resource-driven justice in Genesis 14 when Abram goes out to war on behalf of his nephew, Lot. In verses 11 and 12, four kings descend upon Sodom and Gomorrah, where Lot lives. During the raid, Lot is kidnapped and his possessions stolen. Abram quickly mobilizes his resources to rescue his nephew. There is an analogical, moral interpretation here for us. In the same way that Abram stares Lot’s injustice in the face and gives of his resources, so too should we provide direct financial relief to those who have suffered injustices, especially minorities.

A GoFundMe, entitled “I Run With Maud,” has been set up to assist the Arbery family, and I encourage you to donate today.

3. Reform Our Legal System

Finally, we need to ask ourselves: what system allowed Gregory and Travis McMichael to think they could do what they did and get away with it? The answer is found in the practice of citizen’s arrest, an archaic and problematic loophole in our legal system.

Dr. Ira P. Robbins, Barnard T. Welsh scholar and professor of law and justice, explains:

Citizen’s arrest arose in medieval times as a direct result of the lack of an organized police force and practical modes of transportation to get to the scene of a crime expeditiously. Citizens had a positive duty to assist the King in seeking out suspected offenders and detaining them. However, citizen’s arrest is a doctrine whose time should have passed many decades or centuries ago. As official police forces became the norm, the need for citizen’s arrest dissipated. Yet these arrests are still authorized throughout the United States today, whether by common law or by statute.

Our law enforcement today has no need for a private person to lawfully detain another. It gives too much power to an individual and allows for possible abuse of this privilege, as in Ahmaud Arbery’s case. The practice of citizen’s arrest is vigilantism by the dominant culture, and justifies corporeal violence against people of color. This practice’s propensity for injustice demands that it be at least amended. Others, like Dr. Robbins, have called for it to be abolished altogether.

Christians need to care about the doctrine of citizen’s arrest because it is a systemic issue. We know that God cares about just systems. In fact, much of the Law (Torah) is oriented toward structuring the life of God’s people in a way that systematically improves upon the brutality of the ancient world, including a more humane treatment of the poor, foreigners, and other vulnerable populations; a more equitable use of land and resources; cities of refuge; and humane restrictions on punishments. Amidst the systemic injustice of the ancient world, God structures the life of God’s people as a witness to justice and righteousness.

We too need to care about systematically improving the lives of all our neighbors today. If the practice of citizen’s arrest allows racist white men to criminalize and harm Black bodies, then it should not be allowed to continue as is. You can begin to undo this systemic problem by picking up the phone, calling your city council members and state representatives, and having a conversation about your local laws.

Let’s continue to pray for the Arbery family. But let’s also step out boldly, stare racism in the face, and pave a safer path for every person of color who is still here.

This piece was first published on the Asian American Christian Collaborative blog. 

This statement is being released in conjunction with the launch of the Asian American Christian Collaborative website (www.asianamericanchristiancollaborative.com) along with resources to help and empower individuals and to equip organizations and churches for faithful action to address anti-Asian racism. Will you sign the statement, join their movement, and help amplify their voices and community? You can also join the conversation through their Facebook group: Asian American Christian Collaborative.

Statement on Anti-Asian Racism in the Time of COVID-19

We, the undersigned, join together as Asian American Christians and community leaders to denounce the current rise in anti-Asian racism throughout our country. We call for an immediate end to the xenophobic rhetoric, hate crimes, and violence against our people and communities. We invite all Americans to join us in combating these contagions and work with us for the welfare of all.

In the last two weeks of March 2020, Asian Americans have reported nearly 1,000 incidents of racism, and without mitigation, we expect that number to rise in the weeks ahead. Many of these were violent attacks against life and human dignity, and many more incidents have gone unreported. Furthermore, despite international consensus, public outcry, and increasing racism against Asian Americans, some of our nation’s leaders are intentionally choosing nomenclature for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), such as the “Chinese Flu,” and this is endangering the lives of more than 20 million Americans.

Harmful tropes of “yellow peril” continue to be perpetuated by the news, within institutional and popular portrayals of our people, our food, and our customs as unsafe and unwelcome. Consider, for example, images of Asian peoples in masks while reporting on COVID-19. This framing has had a negative impact on the lives of many Asian Americans, including discrimination targeting Asian businesses and enterprises in the U.S., as well as verbal and physical assaults against Asian persons. As Americans, all of our communities are living with the fear of contracting COVID-19, and as Asian Americans in particular, we also face the added fear of discrimination and violence on a daily basis. The FBI has warned that hate crimes against Asian Americans will likely increase across the United States.

Sadly, the current xenophobia surrounding COVID-19 is just the newest case study in America’s history of depicting and treating Asian people as yellow peril. Some notable past examples include, but are not limited to: Chinese Americans excluded from immigration on the basis of race and labeled as perilous in 1882; Filipino-American laborers throughout California discriminated against and violently attacked during the 1920s and 1930s; innocent American citizens of Japanese descent unjustly incarcerated en masse during World War II; Asian Americans demonized as the enemy, regardless of their ethnic origin, during the wars in Korea and Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, and South Asian Americans of diverse ethnicities suffering violence and discrimination alongside Middle Eastern Americans after 9/11. The Japanese American Citizens League has also testified before Congress during the wave of anti-Asian violence in the 1980s that our nation passed more than 600 separate pieces of anti-Asian legislation throughout U.S. history.

READ: Letter to Homeland Security: Release Vulnerable Detainees

To fellow Asian Americans: we see you, we hear you, and we long for a quick end to this particular period of coronavirus-related racism. Some of you have experienced this racism personally. It has hurt our families, communities, and businesses, and we understand the pain. We know that even after medical professionals find treatments and a vaccine for this virus, we will still have to deal with the ongoing pandemic of xenophobia and anti-Asian racism. Historically, the tides of anti-Asian racism ebb and flow depending on the perception of a threat. This will undoubtedly continue, but know that we are here. You are not alone. 

Throughout our history, many of us have attempted to raise awareness of anti-Asian bias and racism in the church and the broader culture. There have been many encouraging advances and movements, yet the hate and discrimination persists. While anti-Asian racism is inflamed around the globe, we also hope that our Asian American community remembers that other communities of color have experienced and continue to experience racism daily; even at times as a result of our own colorism and anti-Blackness. We ask that Asian Americans seek opportunities for solidarity with other ethnic and racial minorities and advocate for them as many have done for us, for such a time as this. Finally, for those of you who have not personally experienced anti-Asian racism, we ask that you listen, empathize, and provide support. 

To Americans of other ethnicities: we thank those of you who have been standing with us during this time. We are deeply grateful to other people of color, especially those from black and brown communities, who have paved the way forward for us to pursue justice and peace. Others of you, may just be learning that anti-Asian American racism is very much alive.  Seeing us raise our voices may challenge the long-held assumption that Asian Americans are so-called “model minorities.” We invite you to educate yourself, join the cause against anti-Asian racism, and be a part of the solution. It’s important for you to recognize the reality of this racism, to intervene (i.e., if you see something, say something), and to fight against xenophobic rhetoric and violence at every level. 

To Christians and Christian leaders of all backgrounds: loving God through loving neighbor is a hallmark of the Christian faith (Mk. 12:31). As followers of Jesus believe that all people are made in the image of God (Gen. 1), we seek the flourishing of every human being, paying particular attention to those who are marginalized, oppressed, and suffering. This includes those who are experiencing racism. Thus, we urge you to speak without ambiguity against racism of every kind. Faithful Christian witness requires anti-racist work, and silence only perpetuates the sins not addressed. This includes going beyond shallow acknowledgement of the most obvious incidents of racism to taking responsibility in confronting the longstanding tendencies of people to discount and dismiss the realities of racism. It also includes addressing the disbelief and disobedience of your constituents who continue to ignore members of the body of Christ who are in pain and under threat. Many of us Asian American Christians have stood against anti-Asian racism during prominent incidents in and out of the church over the years, and we now ask that you join us in this gospel-centered, anti-racist work. 

We call for the following: 

1. Engage in whole-life discipleship in your churches, and embrace the teaching and work of Jesus, by actively combating anti-Asian racism from the pulpit, in congregational life, and in the world. 
2. Increase awareness and education on Asian-American issues, anti-Asian bias, and Asian-American histories of oppression and resistance, from Pre-K through higher education. 
3. Provide culturally-competent mental health services and resources for Asian-American youth and their families in all public schools and agencies.
4. Support Asian businesses and enterprises that are disproportionately and negatively impacted by COVID-19 as well as Asian-Americans in the workplace who are unfairly targeted and discriminated against.
5. Hold elected officials accountable for their words and inaction. Let them know that continued use of harmful rhetoric will not be tolerated. Pray that they would heed their responsibility to protect the vulnerable from violence and oppression (Ps. 72:12-14) and pursue justice and peace (1 Tim. 2:2) for the sake of the common good (Jer. 29:7). 

In this Lenten season, we remember that the Lord Jesus took on flesh to embody God’s healing and bind the wounds of the brokenhearted. By this healing work, Jesus gathers what Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. calls the Beloved Community, which embodies the interdependence and kinship of all people. So, we invite any and all who stand in solidarity with us to sign alongside us and to share this in your own personal and organizational networks. You can also join the Asian American Christian Collaborative on Facebook or go to www.asianamericanchristiancollaborative.com for resources to empower and equip you as individuals, organizations, and churches for faithful action to address anti-Asian racism. We believe in the redemptive power of the gospel as the only way for true reconciliation to fully occur, between God and humanity and across racial and social lines. May the name of Jesus be glorified as we, his collective body, pursue truth, justice, restoration, and unity.

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