So much of the Christian narrative I was exposed to early on was also seeped in the assumption of a dominant or default whiteness. If you do a Google Image search for “Jesus,” it’s sad to see that 90% of the photos depict a light-skinned, European-looking guy with brown hair and blue eyes. The Jesus Christ of Nazareth I’m reading about in the bible was a Middle-Eastern Jew, probably with brown skin, black hair and darker-colored eyes.
I was always the kid growing up who hated history. It was always the most boring subject to me. I didn’t see the point in memorizing dates and random names for things that happened generations and generations ago. “It has nothing to do with me,” was what I thought. But now, I’m starting to see more and more that it has everything to do with me. My family, the place I grew up, and the environment and people that surrounded me since childhood has had a profound impact on the way I think and go about the world.
It’s been a long week. When I first started out with this blog, I hadn’t quite yet anticipated what I would be writing about regularly. My goals were to explore my identities as a Christian, an Asian American, and a writer. #GeorgeFloyd and surrounding events, news, and personal conversations have given me a lot to think through and process. As a writer, I write to understand my own thoughts. I also write to share and invite discussion. As a Christian, I care deeply about the sanctity of each and every human life born in God’s image.
