'This is my community:' National ministry leader responds to anti-Asian hate

In response to the recent increase in anti-Asian hate violence, a national ministry is speaking out.

In a Facebook post made Saturday, Canadian Baptist Ministries (CBM) executive director Jennifer Lau says the growing attacks against racialized communities in recent years have left behind feelings of outrage, anger, and fear.

Noting the recent rise in hatred directed towards the Asian community in North America, Lau says she cannot remain silent.

"This is my community. I am an Asian-Canadian woman. I cannot stay silent because to do so would be to let fear win."

Earlier this week, eight people were shot and killed in attacks on three salons in Atlanta, Georgia. Six of those killed were Asian.

"All of them were taken away in a cowardly act," Lau says.

"Even the most vulnerable and respected people in these communities, the elderly - our grandmothers and grandfathers - have been attacked as they go about their daily lives."

Lau says now is the time to raise voices against these "despicable acts of evil.

"For Canadians who will not admit that racism exists against Asians and other minorities in our own country, I will attest that as a third-generation Canadian, I have experienced racism and discrimination in all its forms throughout my life. These incidents are too numerous to count and go back to my earliest memories."

Lau says the stories of discrimination coming out of the western Asian community are true.

"The unspoken reality of being a racialized person in our country is to know how it feels to be made less worthy. You must work harder than anyone to prove your worth as a citizen and human being. You must constantly be mindful to disprove every stereotype and even then, you are never fully accepted."

As an Asian woman, Lau says she has felt dehumanized and "treated with utter disrespect because of the body I was born into." She shares her grief that her Asian sisters also feel this way and are fearful of being seen as easy targets.

But anti-Asian hate is not something that has to exist, Lau says.

"I have seen the beauty that exists when we can build genuine camaraderie as fellow travellers on this journey of life where each contributes a different perspective to create a whole," Lau shares. "I have been blessed to be part of a work community that genuinely accepts differences but doesn’t allow them to divide us."

"Hate is wrong. God is love. As people all created in God’s image, we were made for unity."

She says the CBM body is diverse with each individual contributing to the greater work with their full energy and abilities.

"Our experience illustrates that it is possible to achieve this ideal kind of community, but it takes effort and intentionality to not fall back on reductive conclusions based merely on race or gender."

Lau calls for people to object to racist ideals, whether they be overt or hidden behind the guise of humour.

"We must stop treating immigrant Canadians like strangers in our land. We must stop laughing at people’s given names that have not been anglicized for our convenience. We must stop complaining about people’s accents and grammar because learning English or French is hard. Try learning Mandarin and you’ll understand what I mean. Call out these behaviours when you witness them.

"Do not accept them in your workplaces, churches. schools or conversations with friends," Lau says.

"Hate is wrong. God is love. As people all created in God’s image, we were made for unity."

She asks for readers to ally with the Asian community against the aggressions they face and to refuse to be silent.

"Talk about racism in your churches and actively take a stand and voice against it as a congregation. I ask this not just for me, but for my children and all our children who deserve to live in a world without fear."