An Article and a Study on Asian Americans' Relationship to Black Lives Matter

Here are an article and a study about Asian Americans' relationship to Black Lives Matter and racial relationship between Asian Americans and Black Americans.

A Letter From Young Asian-Americans To Their Families About Black Lives Matter

https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2016/07/27/487375314/a-letter-from-young-asian-americans-to-their-families-about-black-lives-matter

For Xu, and other younger Asian-Americans who have shown support for the Black Lives Matter movement and anti-police brutality causes, this was disturbing. "To me, clearly justice is about getting justice for these black families," Xu says. "Not about making sure that Asian people have the same privilege as white people."

Complicity and Resistance: Asian American Body Politics in Black Lives Matter

Warning: It's long.

https://muse.jhu.edu/article/707261

In the midst of the controversy, nonetheless, the most pressing issue is not to debate the accurate or authentic representation of Asian Americanness, but to return to the demand that the BLM movement calls for in the first place, that is, to reclaim what a livable life is. When one speaks of the value of a life, it is impossible to generalize all bodies across the divergent material and political conditions. Instead, one must realize the politics in body not in abstract terms but in their material manifestations. To denounce the political possibility of Asian Americanness is thus not to turn back to the dualist paradigm of Black-white racial antagonism, or to speak for the Other as the ideal, deserving racial subject. Rather, it is critical to challenge the moral and political legitimacy granted through Asian Americanness and to expand the narrow tunnel of survival that has become increasingly restricted by intensified racial profiling and surveillance. As an Asian for Black Lives activist said at Gurley’s vigil, “We must remain vigilant and not let systems divide our communities in what is right—valuing life. At the end of the day, it is about valuing life—Black lives—and finding humanity.” In recognizing our shared vulnerability to white supremacy and the unstable structures of privileges based on race, we can move forward from a racial politics and a national futurity that make life livable only for some and unlivable for the rest.

Mabel Ping-Hua Lee

Picture taken from NextShark's article, "Meet the First Chinese American Woman to Fight for Voting Rights That History Almost Forgot"

Can you think of a well-known Chinese American Christian besides Francis Chan and Jeremy Lin? I sure can't, not immediately at least, let alone try to think of a well-known, influential Asian American Christian. In addition, can you think of a well-known Asian Christian, that is Christians from the Asian continent? That's a hard one for me as well.

If you can't, that is totally understandable. I think being part of the Evangelical movement in the U.S. has unfortunately blinded us from seeing influential Christians who are not white. I've posted about Eugene Cho, who is Korean American and is having a strong influence over Evangelicalism, which I welcome. Now, I want to introduce you to someone from the past who you probably never heard of before, but you definitely must: Mabel Ping-Hua Lee.

To say that Mabel Ping-Hua Lee was a titan and a remarkable woman is a massive understatement. Lee was a Chinese American women's suffrage advocate and a leader in her contemporary Baptist tradition. She was born on October 7, 1897 in Guangzhou, China, and was the daughter of a missionary pastor. When she was nine years old, Lee earned an academic scholarship that allowed her to relocate to the U.S. to attend school, and so her family emigrated to Chinatown in New York City in 1905.

Early on, Lee was involved in the feminist and women's suffrage movement, influenced by her father's religious convictions and New York City's liberal environment. She rode on horseback as a teenager in the campaign for women's suffrage in New York state. On May 4, 1912, at the age of sixteen, Lee led a parade in support of women's suffrage, which grew a large crowd of ten thousand people. In 1914, when she attended Barnard College, the women's college connected to, at that time, the all-male Columbia University, Lee wrote for The Chinese Students' Monthly about the importance and need of feminism, as well as her care for the reconstruction of China as it leaves the age of European colonialism.

In her article titled, "The Meaning of Woman Suffrage," Lee writes:

In furtherance of such a cause we students should take a leading part. To us girls especially, who are among the first to emerge, will fall the duties of pioneers and, if we do our share, ours will be the honor and the glory.

The welfare of China and possibly its very existence as an independent nation depends on rendering tardy justice to its womankind. For no nation can ever make real and lasting progress in civilization unless its women are following close to its men if not actually abreast with them.

Lee also gave speeches; here's an excerpt from her speech "China's Submerged Half":

Our [Chinese] statesmen for century back have felt the need for female education and must have wished for it. But what was the good of their mere wishing?

The missionaries came in their turn. They not only wished and prayed, but they labored. And it is largely due to their untiring efforts in the face of obstacles well-nigh insurmountable, that the present interest in women’s education owes its existence.

Now it is our turn. What are we going to do in answer to the call of duty?

In 1917, women finally won the right to vote in New York state, but Lee herself was unable to vote because of the Chinese Exclusion Act, which Barred Chinese immigrants from naturalizing; it's unclear if Lee was ever able to vote after the repeal of the Act or if she became a U.S. citizen.

Regarding her education, she majored in philosophy and history. and then later received a master's degree of educational administration at Barnard College. In 1917, she was admitted to Columbia University for a doctorate in economics . In 1921 or 1922, she received a PhD., becoming the first woman to do so from Columbia University. Her dissertation was on the economic history of China. With her PhD., Lee hoped to help her people in China in its reconstruction process; however, many factors ranging from the May Thirtieth Movement to the death of her father pushed her to remain in the U.S.

After the death of her father in 1924, Lee took over his role as head of the Baptist mission in Chinatown at the age of 28. Although she expected for this to be a temporary position, it turned into her lifelong work. Lee raised funds from the American Baptist Home Mission Society and local Chinese American organizations to created a Chinese Christian Center in memory of her father. It came into fruition in 1926 when she purchased a building in Chinatown. The center provided support for the Chinese community -- who were often marginalized and oppressed in American society -- with many services such as English classes, medical clinic, vocational workshops, and a kindergarten.

Lee was able to solely secure the property under the First Chinese Baptist Church in 1954, becoming fully independent. She believed that it was important for Chinese Christians to gain independence from the larger white-led Baptist mission, as she believed that this will allow the Chinese community to be more fully independent regardless of the larger society's marginalization of non-whites. In addition, she believed that it was important that a Chinese Christianity is to be formed, and not to follow the typical Euro-American Protestantism.

Lee never married and maintained financial independence, which was rare during her lifetime. She continued to dedicate her life and work to Christ and the Chinatown community until her death in 1966 at the age of 70.

The First Chinese Baptist Church is still operational and continues to offer social services started by Lee and continues to follow in her footsteps of advocating for civil rights.

This is the amazing life and work of Mabel Ping-Hua Lee. Fully Chinese, fully woman, and fully Christian. She selflessly labored to ensure women's suffrage, support the Chinese American community and bringing the Kingdom of God here. For that, I personally admire and salute her.

May she receive glory in the Age to Come.

References:

• Alexander, K. L. (2020). Mabel Ping-Hua Lee. National Women's History Museum. https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mabel-ping-hua-lee

• Mabel Ping-Hua Lee. (2020, March 2). Wikipedia. Retrieved May 25, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mabel_Ping-Hua_Lee

• Tseng, T. (2013, December 12). Asian American Legacy: Dr. Mabel Lee. Tim Tseng. https://timtseng.net/2013/12/12/asian-american-legacy-dr-mabel-lee/

Rev. Eugene Cho

Picture from Eugene Cho's website.

Here's an Asian American you should know about: Rev. Eugene Cho. Here are some things about him.

Eugene Cho is a Korean-American who is a prominent figure within the evangelical world. Born in Seoul from parents who were from North Korea, Cho immigrated to San Francisco, growing up there. He received a MDiv at Princeton Theological Seminary. He founded Quest Church, a multiethnic and multigenerational church in Seattle and was a senior pastor there from 2001 to 2018; his first year as a pastor was difficult, yet formative, as he did not receive a pastor's salary and worked as a janitor at a Barnes & Noble shop to support himself. Through years of discernment, Cho decided to step down as senior pastor, discerning that he was too spread in doing other ministries to faithfully and effectively pastor the church.

Speaking of his other ministries, Cho founded and is executive director of One Day's Wage, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending global poverty. His travels to developing countries and seeing the actual poverty, yet the enduring spirit of people lead him and his family to begin simplifying their lives by selling excessive possessions and only keeping the essentials and saving money for three years to donate their 2009 income of $68,000. Not wanting to stop there, he founded One Day's Wage as a way to encourage others to do the same through simple giving (that is, a one day's wage) and to partner with various communities to provide support in ending poverty.

Cho will be president-elect of Bread for the World, a non-profit advocacy organization founded by a small group of Protestants and Catholics who wanted to affect U.S. and other nations' policies that will end world hunger. Cho is set to become president in July 2020, succeeding founder and president David Beckmann.

Cho has written two books: Overrated: Are We More in Love with the Idea of Changing the World Than Actually Changing the World? (2014) and Thou Shalt Not Be a Jerk: A Christian's Guide to Engaging Politics (2020).

Cho continues to pursue his passion of encouraging a wide range of audience - church, pastors, non-profits, leaders, missionaries, and justice workers - to preach the Gospel, mentor in leadership, pursue justice, and work to bring the Kingdom here on earth.

His personal bio:

https://eugenecho.com/my-story/