“All this hype without policy change is just hype. Having a seat at the table, that’s essential.”
DULUTH, Ga. — This month’s killing spree at Atlanta-area spas is pushing Korean American pastors to do something quietly radical: Urge their flocks to get politically involved and rise up against racism against Asian Americans.
Political activism is normally off-limits in the evangelical Korean church. Pastors, many of them immigrants themselves, firmly believe in separating church and state. Politics and protests, they say, are secular matters that don’t belong in the sanctuary.
But this month’s massacre, which killed eight people, four of whom were Korean, is animating the Korean community here. It’s spurring them to act in new ways — reminiscent of the Black church and the role it played in the civil rights struggle. Religious leaders are at the forefront of this nascent movement, agitating for change. And as they look to harness Korean American electoral power in the Atlanta suburbs, their turn toward activism could have lasting implications in a state roiled by rapid demographic upheaval.
Churches can no longer stay silent about racism, said Pastor Han Byung-chul from the Korean Central Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, who recently formed an anti-AAPI hate group in the city with 11 other religious leaders.
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Pastors are reluctant to align themselves with a party. And right now, their efforts are in the very early planning stages. But they’re making it clear they intend to be a force strong enough to pressure lawmakers and political parties into addressing the needs of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
“It’s not about specific politicians or political parties. We want an overarching understanding that we need to create a society where immigrants and Asians aren’t discriminated [against],” said Pastor Lee Jun-hyup from Immanuel Korean United Methodist Church in Marietta, Ga. “Korean churches and Asian American groups will likely put more pressure on lawmakers to implement systematic changes to address these issues.”
A similar political awakening is gaining momentum across the United States. Last week, Pastor Choi Byung-ho, president of the National Caucus of Korean Presbyterian Churches, sent out instructions encouraging pastors around the country to incorporate anti-racism messages in their sermons.
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This month’s killing spree at Atlanta-area spas is pushing Korean American pastors to do something quietly radical: Urge their flocks to get politically involved and rise up against racism against Asian Americans https://t.co/okmH01IP9I
— POLITICO (@politico) March 27, 2021
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