Asian American Churches Urge People to ‘Step Up and Address’ Hate, Racism amid Rising Anti-Asian Attacks
Asian American church leaders said this week that they hope to “act” against recent deadly attacks on Asian Americans.
As Christian Headlines previously reported, this week, a white gunman killed eight people at three massage businesses in the Atlanta area. Four of the killed were women of Korean descent.
According to the Associated Press, at Korean Central Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, lead pastor Rev. Byeong Han said the time is “not to just pray, not just worry,” but “time for us to act.”
“I’m going to urge people with love and peace that we need to step up and address this issue, so that … our next generation should not be involved in tragic … violence,”he said “That’s what Christians need to do.”
In the Atlanta suburb of Roswell, Rev. Jong Kim of Grace Korean Presbyterian Church said he was grateful for the support following the attacks, such as a $100 donation to his church from a woman who said she wanted “to express her feelings of sorrow to the Asian community.”
Kim is joining with other Korean pastors in the area to work with the group Asian Americans Advancing Justice. The group hopes to discuss the issues of race and help families of victims with funeral-related expenses.
“The broader context cannot be ignored,” the Atlanta chapter of the group said in a statement. The attacks, it said, “happened under the trauma of increasing violence against Asian Americans nationwide, fueled by white supremacy and systemic racism.”
Kevin Park, an associate pastor at Korean Central Presbyterian Church, said he hopes all people in the country will stand against the racist attacks.
“There [are] opportunities among faith communities that we need to stand up together and reach out to communities that are hurting, not only Asian American communities but other communities of color,” he said.
“And I think there needs to be kind of this movement toward solidarity. … We’re all in this together.”
Photo courtesy: ©Raychan/Unsplash
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
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