by the Rev. Dr. Jin Cho, Leader of the Revelation 7:9 Task Force for Racial Diversity and Inclusion

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of mending broken pottery, where the fractured pieces are painstakingly brought back to wholeness by a master craftsman with gold lacquer. The idea is to treat the brokenness as part of the piece’s history to be honored, rather than something that needs to be hidden. The resulting piece, with its veins of gold clearly visible, is often considered far more valuable than it was before it was broken.

Theologian/artist Makoto Fujimura finds a profound lesson in this for us, as “trauma mended becomes something new”; that it is in our embrace of our brokenness we are freed to journey toward a more hopeful future. In describing us as a “kintsugi generation,” Fujimura provides us a way of acknowledging the trauma of our times, while providing a vision of healing. [Watch this excellent video about it.]

I start with this story to introduce Asian Pacific American Heritage Month for two reasons. First is to provide an example of a precious insight that comes from an Asian American voice. But a second, more important reason is to illustrate the importance of paying attention to all of our different stories—especially the painful ones—to appreciate what it means to be “us” in these divisive times.

To me, the vision of Revelation 7:9 is, in part, that our stories matter to God. Every culture, people group, ethnos, has unique insights that are meant to be a gift of new perspective for every other group. Thus, to be the people of God called to live with one another in shalom is to learn to inhabit well each other’s stories, by embracing one another’s joys and pains. This is the path to deep reconciliation that God has in mind for all His children.

In our country, the Asian American story has been told—if at all—only in whispers. In 1587, the first person of Asian descent stepped foot in California. In 1763, the first Filipino American settlement was established in Louisiana. There have been continuous Asian American settlements in the United States from at least the 1840s, but most Asian Americans are still asked, “Where are you really from?”

So it seems to me an important task, for the sake of others and ourselves, that our Asian American stories are told.

In C4SO’s very first celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, our goal is to share just a few highlights from our stories. We will do this with art, by getting to know a few of our Asian American heroes, and by sharing from our recent experiences of life here in the United States. We also invite everyone in the diocese to join us for a Zoom call on Thursday, May 27, at 7:30 pm CST as we discuss the Oscar-nominated movie Minari, written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung. Register now.

P.S. For those interested in participating further in Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the recent series Asian Americans on PBS is an excellent place to start.

The Rev. Jin Cho serves at Holy Trinity Church in Costa Mesa, California as a priest. He received his doctorate of ministry from Fuller Seminary, writing on “Race, Evangelicalism, and the Local Church.” He has 20-plus years experience as a pastor and a church planter, but in recent years consults with churches and non-profits to have courageous conversations around various justice issues. He and his far more interesting wife Esther will celebrate their 25th anniversary next year, and they have two extremely extroverted middle-schoolers.