ELCA Global Mission describes accompaniment as “walking together in a solidarity that practices interdependence and mutuality.” Filipinos, who were under Spanish rule for 300 years, call this concept pakikisama, “to walk with and support someone.” Community activists call it “being an ally.”
Meanwhile, President Trump insists on using the term “Chinese virus,” only recently saying that Asian people are not at fault. Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) reports children as young as kindergarteners being bullied by classmates calling them ”coronavirus.” News reports tell of harassment, confrontations and brutal assaults on Asian American adults. Spit On, Yelled At, Attacked: Chinese-Americans Fear for Their Safety
AAPIP states: “While the origin of COVID-19 has been traced to China, …the virus is not “race-based.” It is transmitted through person-to-person contact despite misguided claims that Chinese people contracted the virus in ‘unsanitary’ food markets or from eating ‘dirty’ food. The practice of wearing surgical masks by (although not limited to) Chinese and Chinese Americans as a precautionary measure is now interpreted as symptomatic rather than preventative, re-igniting xenophobic and racist sentiments of Chinese people as diseased, barbaric, and to be avoided at all costs.” https://aapip.org/our-stories/aapip-statement-on-covid-19
Allies are needed more than ever. Allies fight spiritual darkness with light and compassion. They resonate with French Asians tweeting “I am not a virus. I am human. Please don’t discriminate against me.” Allies are lifesavers who help because they can, and want to. Mark Holgate of Australia is one such hero. He raised funds for his Chinese friend Siran Li’s eye surgery after a brutal racial attack. Li is now gratefully recovering. https://www.gofundme.com/f/helping-constantine-recover-from-attack?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet
“It’s hard enough to ensure that we don’t catch the virus or become a carrier,” says one Chinese American Lutheran. “But to fear for our personal safety because of ‘guilt by association because of the way we look’ is horrendous, disgraceful, and mortifying.” That is so true. I thank God for caring, listening friends whose support is a gift from God. Thank you, LPF Peace Friends, for your prayers and actions to stand and walk with Asian Americans, especially during times like these which are difficult for everyone.
— Lily R. Wu, New York City
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There’s a new center for reporting incidents of coronavirus-related racism. Please share this information where needed. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/nonprofits-launch-site-asian-americans-report-coronavirus-related-racism-n1164091?fbclid=IwAR0r0GyC7qovxYcwRqpzSHAaqeDAApIPmlmuK_uJpDqc5g5tdWYHePKioTc
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A beautiful meditative poem is making its way around the world. See “Lockdown,” by Brother Richard Henrick, a Capuchin Franciscan priest-friar in Ireland. It’s the March 16 entry in his blog, Mindful Mystical Musings. http://brorichardblog.blogspot.com/