KTF Weekly Newsletter: Slavery in the 60’s, Redwoods Reparations, Crenshaw and Cone

Hi everybody, 

We want to start by acknowledging the pain and fear a lot of our Asian American siblings are feeling, particularly our sisters, following the tragic murder of Christina Yuna Lee. We are praying and listening as people mourn. We are not going to come up with more concise or humane words than Kathy Khang did, so we will leave you hers. For those of you who want to learn more and engage around anti-Asian racism, Jonathan has previously pointed readers to Stop AAPI Hate, and we do so again.  

And now, here are this week’s highlights. 

Sy’s recommendations: 

• Roy Mong has written a two-part essay for the Front Porch (here’s part one, and here’s two) on his journey through processing the particular harm and attendant grief experienced by so many Asian Americans in white Christian organizations. He reflects poignantly on the pressure he and his parents felt to assimilate, coming to terms with the ways that that pressure is destructive. He also outlines how he is now thinking of reshaping his identity and theology to better reflect the lived reality of Asian Americans, as well as his own dignity and place in God’s creation. And the essay is packed full of links to other books and articles if you are interested in reading more.