It's been almost 2 months since my EOY blog in December, and here are some of the highlights of what's transpired. Joe Biden is now officially the President of the United States, but not without a violent White Supremacist insurrection attempt at the Nation's Capitol. There was a quick impeachment trial with only 7 GOP Senators who voted to convict. On the COVID front, cases and deaths rose during the holidays but are now starting to drop or flatten. We still need to be vigilant with masks and distancing, however, even as people are getting vaccinated, as the virus has mutated into more contagious strains. And if the virus itself wasn't bad enough, there has been an increase in Asians (especially elders) being attacked in part because of the insistence of people on calling it the "China Virus," "Kung Flu," etc.
On a personal level, I did a 3-week fast (no breakfast and no salty snacks) and concentrated on discerning God's voice in my life and how to address BLM and racism in America. All the news I cited in the first paragraph are basically forms of racism. Trump and his folks, primarily Whites, tried to throw out votes from communities of color. Some folks say, "The Civil War was really about states' rights," but they conveniently leave out the part about those "states' rights" being the right to have slaves. In the same way, I believe these White Supremacists that broke into the Capitol were trying to do the same. They say they were trying to "Stop the Steal" without admitting that they think the it was stolen by people of color. There has been Voter Suppression going on for decades, especially in Black and Brown communities. Despite over 60 court cases saying that there was no evidence of overwhelming election fraud (some by Trump-appointed judges), Trump and his supporters (including some in the Senate) continued to lie to rile up his base and attack the Capitol. I was not surprised that the Senate GOP acquitted Trump (despite an awesome case presented by the House Managers) because I know how White Supremacists just want to stay in power. As a POC, that is how I perceive Trump and the insurrectionists as White Supremacists - in addition to the obvious Confederate flags, they don't believe my vote should count... nor the other POC they disagree with.
Regarding the attacks on Asians, it is complex because many of these attacks are perpetuated by young Black people. It is a knee-jerk reaction for many Asians to then resent the Black community, but we must resist that. As the linked article notes: Tran’s tweets reflected a larger sentiment online from many Asian Americans that keeping their community safe should not mean turning to increased policing—especially in the wake of a national reckoning this summer with systemic police brutality and the disproportionate harm it causes Black and brown communities, who often share space with Asian Americans...."If the bigger problem is anti-Asian sentiment, putting someone in jail doesn’t solve that problem,” she says, calling for an approach that allows perpetrators to be both held accountable and encouraged to change. “All of us really need to do work into our communities to unlearn these harmful narratives about each other."
This brings me to my next subject of the "Model Minority Myth" which is a White Supremacist strategy to divide the Asian and Black communities involving, "1) ignoring the role that selective recruitment of highly educated Asian immigrants has played in Asian American success followed by 2) making a flawed comparison between Asian Americans and other groups, particularly Black Americans, to argue that racism, including more than two centuries of black enslavement, can be overcome by hard work and strong family values." I've seen recent social media posts by Asians, bragging about how they were able to be successful in America just by working hard (possibly assuming that others don't work hard). They are buying into the whole Model Minority Myth and don't understand that the Black community has faced many more obstacles than the Asian community. Granted, the Asians that posted this were either immigrants and/or first generation Americans, so many are unaware of the actual history of Blacks in America.
It frustrates me when people respond with "All Lives Matter" when I say "Black Lives Matter;" but I have to remind myself that they are unaware and I need to tell them we say BLM because it really means BLM TOO.. Just like activists in the 60s wore signs that said, "I am a man" to remind people that they were human too (not that others weren't.)
It frustrates me when people say, "My ancestors came here the right way," but I have to remind myself that they are unaware of laws that kept my ancestors out (Chinese Exclusion Act) and that the "right way" was designed to ensure people of European descent remain in power... Not to mention the "right way" once included kidnapping Africans and forcing them into enslavement... and included taking land and lives from the Native Americans. I have to remind myself that these folks were brought up with history books with selective memories, and I need to help raise awareness.
It frustrates me when people call COVID the "China Virus" but I have to remind myself that they may be unaware of the repercussions of Asians being attacked... and that it could be me one day. It frustrates me even more when, after I've explained the impacts, they still insist it's okay to call it the China Virus "because that's where it came from." I have to remind myself that some people may not truly be my friends but I still have to raise awareness anyway (with others who may just be reading through a thread).
I mentioned earlier that I did a fast to discern God's voice, hoping to discover how to best address BLM and racism in America. It has frustrated me that some churches have not addressed the "elephant in the room" and, as one Black friend posted recently, "The silence is loud." I'm reminded that I have a relationship with my pastors and am able to speak frankly with them to tell them what I'm thinking. It's not that I want anybody to preach on racism every week. It's just good to at least acknowledge racism and political strife through prayer so that POC don't feel as if their pain is being ignored (while also bringing awareness to White constituents.)
Since the year started, I've been doing a study by Priscilla Shirer on "Discerning the Voice of God" as well as watching various Right Now Media's series on racism... and I'm currently going through a 40-day devotional on the Bible app on racism. The consistent message I've been getting is that there is a lack of awareness. For now, I feel called to continue posting my thoughts on BLM and racism to raise awareness... and to continue educating myself.
