AAPI Heritage Month Spotlights
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Check out our profiles of figures in Asian American history below.
Vincent Chin (1955-1982)
Vincent Chin was a Chinese-American man who was brutally beaten to death in a racially motivated attack in 1982. His death sparked outrage in the Asian-American community and led to a movement for justice and civil rights. The two men responsible for Chin's death received only probation and a fine, which was widely criticized as a miscarriage of justice. Chin's legacy is that his tragic death raised awareness about anti-Asian racism and galvanized Asian-Americans to fight for their rights and recognition as a marginalized group in American society. His case is still cited today as an example of the ongoing struggle for racial justice in the United States. Click here to learn more.
As CRS and delegates sojourn to Jerusalem for our 142nd Annual Membership Assembly, in partnership with the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center and in solidarity with Palestinian activists, CRS Manager of Human Resources Rev. Dr. Ebony E. Only shares her Prayer for Peace and Healing in Gaza.
Following the results of Election Day on November 5, 2024, CRS Board Member and Imani Village Ambassador and Community Outreach Organizer Kevin Tyson shares his reflection, considering the rights of our children.
Following the results of Election Day on November 5, 2024, CRS Board Member and Michigan Conference Minister of the United Church of Christ Rev. Dr. Lillian Daniel shares her reflection from a swing state.
No matter the final ballot count, we must remember our mission and work continues. We must remain steadfast in our commitment to be vessels of love in the world - during our victories and amidst trials and disappointments. We can acknowledge our lamentations and remain on the wall as truth-tellers, prophetic witnesses, and good troublemakers.
Today is Election Day. That means today, Tuesday, November 5, is the last day to cast our votes for a host of political offices that have the power to determine the course of the future for our individual and communal lives. CRS encourages all who read this to make that choice.
CRS and our member congregation, Urban Village Church, Wicker Park, co-hosted a virtual gathering on October 23. This online meeting set out to educate our network on the battle to end pretextual traffic stops in Chicago and empower folks to mobilize because, as asserted before, when we fight, we win.
With Election Day approaching on November 5, CRS launched our “My Congregation Votes” 2024 campaign to help people of faith and goodwill ensure that they are registered and ready to vote. Read this blog article to find voting resources and commit to voting.
Marcellus Khaliifah Williams was slain, and the whole criminal injustice system is on trial. As people of faith and goodwill, let’s feel our anger, frustration, and zeal for justice. This is important. Then, we should alchemize this into action. All these systems of oppression are connected, and we stand together for justice.
With news of the September 21 mass shooting in Birmingham, Alabama, CRS compels Chicagoans to consider the ties that bind our two cities and ways we can care for our grieving siblings. We begin our Towards a Beloved City initiative, a partnership between community groups, city officials, and concerned people who will unite to reduce gun violence. Learn more in this statement.
CRS co-hosted a prayer vigil with our member congregation, Urban Village Church, at Grace Church of Logan Square for our “We Won’t Bury the Slain: Day of Action” on September 18. Together with site pastors and Black, Brown, white, and LGBTQIA+ communities in Chicago, we embodied the longstanding tradition of acting in solidarity in the pursuit of justice.
Our voices will resound stronger, louder, and unbroken in unison and Beloved Community. Our foreparents faced setbacks and obstacles. Still, they rose to the occasion for us and generations yet born. We will carry that spirited fire because it is perpetual and vibrantly inextinguishable through the persistence of our prayers, our protests, and our policies.