Race

With the recent election buzzing about, race and the issues that surround it have been central in the public eye. I'm actually quite excited that conversations are being formed and issues are no longer being tackled from a fringe perspective where people can frame it as an issue being pitched by "fanatics" who see everything through a race lens but can actually tackle it as a legitimate issue that effects the life of every American.

With all the conversation about race being publicized, it's made me think a bit about my own experience as an Asian American and my racial identity.

Growing up in a predominantly white and asian suburb of Chicago, the issue of race seemed to center around whether you hung with a majority asian crowd or if you were a "white asian". I never had much of an understanding of what issues black americans were talking about in the public realm. And to be honest, there are prejudices that exist between Asian and Black communities.*

For the past year I've been attending a majority black church and for the first time in my life have had several significant and real friendships with Black and African Americans. And I'm starting to realize that there are significant differences in the experience of race in America and that merely being a minority doesn't allow me to understand the minority experience of all cultures. Pegged into the experience of a "model minority" [a phrase which has probably de-emphasized the Asian American experience], it becomes easy to sometimes think that Asians have somehow "overcome" the commonly stated barriers and abuses that come with racism and we often fail to see the struggles that other minorities have to go against.

Understanding that God has a place for diversity and has a heart for all nations helps me to see that there are no mistakes in God creating different cultures and races. There was no mistake when God made one of my good friends Ghanian American or Louisianian Black American. And there was no mistake in my experience as a Chinese daughter to two immigrants. And there was no mistake in my friends growing up as White Central Pennsylvanian. No experience is less valid and less important in how the Body of Christ is compiled [1]. However, there are broken places in all of those experiences and the body will only hurt by not acknowledging that [2]. It makes me wonder how having that understanding changes how I will view policies and mindsets that get put in place that choose to reinforce inequalities. But I also wonder how beautiful it will be when people see past the things that divide and see that we are all made in the image of God, made to reflect different portions of God.

[1] 1 Corinthians 12: 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
[2] 1 Corinthians 12:26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

*On a side note: I've been having several conversations about race with my parents the past few months. Sadly, there is still a lot of barriers to be broken down. It seems quite sad to me to think how stereotypes keep them from actually knowing the experience of someone different from themselves. But, so much of their immigrant experience of having to come over and fend for themselves has probably ingrained certain mindsets. Compassion seems to be the lesson that I have to learn over and over again when approaching my own racial cohort.

After sitting in grief over his loss and hearing the accusations of his friends, Job's wrestling with God leaves him with these words.

And I'm struck by their poignancy. and Simplicity in Trust.

"Agree with God, and be at peace;
thereby good will come to you.
Receive instruction from his mouth,
and lay up his words in your heart.
If you return to the Almighty you will be built up;
if you remove injustice far from your tents,
if you lay gold in the dust,
and gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrent-bed,
then the Almighty will be your gold
and your precious silver.
For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty
and lift up your face to God.
You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you,
and you will pay your vows.
You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,
and light will shine on your ways.
For when they are humbled you say, 'It is because of pride';
but he saves the lowly.
He delivers even the one who is not innocent,
who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands."
-Job 22:21-30