Black Americans and “Stop Anti-Asian Hate”

With all of today’s “political correctness” and “cancel culture”, it’s hard to know who truly stands for what they publicly purport to stand for (or against). It is my strong belief that many just want to avoid being canceled or having their livelihoods destroyed. Why do I think this? Because, most times if you “stay tuned” or look closely, you will see that their lives, actions, or reactions do not line up with what comes from their lips. Some of us like to believe that we are better than the person we truly are. Then there are some of us who know our true nature but are willing to invest heavily in making others believe that we are otherwise. This is what I love so much about the Gospel. It does not care about our titles, our works, our declarations or our facades. It goes straight to our core and starts to purify from the inside out. That is, IF, we submit to the work of the Holy Spirit in us. I have a friend who is fond of saying something along these lines: “In this life, you can do whatever you want. God will respect you and He will not force you to do anything. But when you leave this life, there is no more chance for you to make changes. That is when you must answer for what you do.” Whoa.

I’m actually off on a bit of a tangent because what I really want to talk about is this: Why I believe black Christians should support the call to stand against “Anti-Asian Hate”. That whole first paragraph was to get us thinking introspectively before diving into something that I found quite uncomfortable to think and write about: The interesting intersection of black American and Asian-American experiences.

There are two reasons that I am writing specifically about black Americans’ support for the Asian community.

1. Some black Americans have a hard time seeing outside of the issues that immediately affect black Americans and do not relate to the pain in the Asian-American community.
2. Some black people just…..oh, how can I put this gently? Well, they just really hate Asians and Asian-Americans.

Why the Hate?

Firstly, I think we can all acknowledge that Asians/Asian-Americans create, grow and expand businesses in black communities. In fact, such business have become a staple. It is within this ecosystem that animosities breed. Black Americans’ interactions with Asian-Americans come with dirty looks, being followed (suspiciously and sometimes aggressively) around their establishments, and being disrespected. Additionally, black Americans watch Asian-Americans come into said communities and establish themselves while never giving back to the community. For instance: you will rarely find black Americans working in their establishments or find these businesses sponsoring or contributing to community events or causes. At the entrepreneurial level there have been many reports of Asian-Americans interrupting the supply chain of products to black competitors in the black beauty supply space. There is a clear demarcation of being in the community but not off it. To add to this dynamic, depending on one’s educational level, income level or regional locality, this might be the only close interaction that many blacks have with Asians (and vice-versa). Such interactions are mostly transactional with a side of disrespect or condescension. Even outside of the black communities, inside of corporate and institutional workplaces, blacks experience condescending attitudes from Asian-Americans. It comes mostly in the form of distance or ignoring the black presence.

Secondly, anti-blackness in the Asian community is a thing. And not just here in the United States, it is pretty thick in Asian countries. This one is an entire dissertation of its own but I’m not going there today. The “model minority” status deepens the wedge by hierarchicalizing Asian communities over other communities of color. By the way, I make up words on this site. Its my blog and that is the one liberty that I will unashamedly take at anytime. Feel free to use “hierarchicalizing” whenever you please.

I have laid all of this out to acknowledge that there are lived experiences that inform the social justice proclivities (or lack thereof) of black folks when it comes to standing up for Asian-Americans. If I am going to challenge my black sisters and brothers in Christ to love, I must not do so with a presumption that it is an easy thing to do. Love, Christ-like love, is quiet fierce. It is not easy to come by, maintain or embody. Now that I have acknowledged the challenges, I think I can also challenge you: “do unto them as we would have them do unto us”. Easier said than done, right? Read on and I’ll see you on the other side of the italicized text with some additional thoughts:

“Before the model minority myth, Asians and Asian Americans were exploited for their labor, othered, seen as ‘Yellow Peril,’” says Bianca Mabute-Louie, an ethnic studies adjunct at Laney College. “[The myth] came about when Black power movements were starting to gain momentum, so [politicians] were trying to undercut those movements and say, ‘Asians have experienced racism in this country, but because of hard work, they’ve been able to pull themselves up out of racism by their bootstraps and have the American Dream, so why can’t you?’ In those ways, the model minority myth has really been a tool of white supremacy to squash Black power movements and racial justice movements.”

So, here is where I conclude on this matter of why we, black Americans, especially of the Christ-following persuasion should stand up for Asian-Americans. Four compelling reasons, for your soul searching enjoyment:

Reason #1: Standing against anti-Asian hate is another way to stand against white supremacy.

We cannot expect others to understand that “Black Lives Matter” if we are not willing to stand up for the lives of other people of color. What’s more is that, not every Asian-American is the way that you might perceive them to be. As Christians, we understand that sin has no favorite group of individuals. So to say that you cannot stand up for the lives of Asian-Americans because one or some of them have done things to hurt you is no different from whites refusing to stand up for black lives because they have had negative experiences with some black Americans. It is just wrong to decide that someone’s life has less value than yours because of their skin color or ethnicity. If anyone should understand this level of injustice, it should be us. Don’t you agree?

Reason #2: God is calling us, Black Americans, to lead.

Do you know how many movements around the world have been sparked by the Black Lives Matter protests? Do you know how many countries have been touched and inspired to give voice to marginalized peoples in their own homeland – because of what has been happening in the US since last summer? I would even wonder if people would be so bold to speak out against anti-Asian hate if not for all the racial activism that black Americans have demonstrated over the last year. We have reignited a movement against racial inequities that I believe is meant to impact with reverberant results.

Reason #3: Because you value the lives of all people of color

There is no way, that I would not stand up for Asian-Americans when I have known, loved and admired people with Asian roots. Yes. I too, have had poor experiences with Asians/Asian-Americans. I have also had wonderful experiences with Asians/Asian-Americans. In fact, I’ve had both positive and negative experiences with people of all races and backgrounds, including my own. That’s just how life happens as you deal with humans. The problem is that we are sometimes so wrapped up in our perspectives, hurts and hates to acknowledge that good and bad comes in all colors. I acknowledge that some humans suck, almost in totality. Most of us only do so fractionally. Very few us, I would guess less than one percent, don’t suck at all. If we are waiting for human beings to be perfect before we can love them, then we don’t really want to love. You suck sometimes and people still love you, right? That’s what we do! We bear with each other in our imperfection and we spur one another on to good works. We hold each other accountable with love and humility. Along the way, we grow in the love, grace and compassion of our Lord.

Reason #4: That pesky four letter word that keeps showing up throughout the New Testament:

“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have LOVE for one another.” John 13:35

UGH!!!! LOVE

Biblical love is much deeper, greater, and stronger than rainbows, flowers and fluffy feelings. Somehow we have come to believe that love is a happy feeling, only. It is so much more; it is a choice. Choosing over and over to be loving despite the other person’s behavior is what God’s kind of love is. It’s turning the other cheek. It’s giving to someone who has wronged you. It’s toiling through the messiness of life without giving up on someone. It’s forgiving when you want to take revenge. It’s admitting that we are wrong. It’s going the extra mile when there is no benefit to you AND it’s inconvenient. LOVE is a lot of things that are not warm and fuzzy in the moment. Oh, but the power and redemption it brings are unmatched. This is why 1 Corinthians 13 says that “love is the greatest“!

Final Thoughts

There are many Asian-Americans who are in the family of Christ. They are our brethren. They are asking US to stand with them. Why would we say “NO”? Not only that, but there are also MANY Asian-American organizations and individuals standing up for and being part of black lives matter and black advocacy initiatives. A quick Google search will bring up some results for you. Here are some Asian-American groups bringing efforts and consciousness to support and strengthen relationships with black Americans:

• https://www.asianamericanadvocacyfund.org/asians-for-black-lives
• https://saalt.org/black-lives-matter/
• https://www.searac.org/seaa-resources-for-solidarity-with-blm/
• https://apass.usc.edu/about/black-lives-matter/
• https://www.aafe.org/2020/06/aafe-stands-in-solidarity-with-black-lives-matter.html
• https://www.asianamericanchristiancollaborative.com/article/black-voices-asian-americans-need-to-hear

If you are interested, I’ve even found and upcoming event for you: Asian Americans and the Movements for Black Lives. To register, click here: https://carolinaasiacenter.unc.edu/event/asian-americans-and-the-movements-for-black-lives-asian-antiblack-racism-solidarities-and-the-political-promise-of-popular-culture/

After prayerfully considering all I have shared, I want to invite you read the Asian-American Christian Collaborative’s statement on the Atlanta Massacre and Ongoing Anti-Asian Hate. Please consider signing it and sharing with others. Click this link:

https://www.asianamericanchristiancollaborative.com/atlantastatement

A Prayer:

Dear Lord, please do not let be comfortable in our hypocrisies. As you always do, please lovingly shed light on our hearts and remind us of the love you have bestowed upon us. Help us to generously and humbly give back to others: forgiveness, grace, truth and love.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Leave a comment and let’s keep the conversation going!