As children of God, we know that we are all part of one family. In Christ, the barriers have been broken down and we are one. However, this theology is not always part of lived reality. Even in the church, racism and discrimination have existed historically and can still exist today.
At St. Paul’s, we want to work against racism, both in society and in ourselves. As part of this, we will be celebrating Asian Heritage Month during the month of May. People of Asian descent have made significant contributions to Canadian society, despite having faced decades of discrimination. For example, many of us are not aware that from 1923 to 1947, the Canadian Government imposed the Chinese Immigration Act through which Chinese people were prohibited from immigrating to Canada. The first lawyer of Asian descent to graduate from the University of Toronto Osgoode Law School played a key role in this law being repealed. He was Kew Dock Yip, the great uncle of our own Marshall Lee. On Sunday May 29th, Marshall will be telling us more about the story of this man’s life and the racism that Asian-Canadians have experienced. Join us as we learn more about the barriers faced by people of Asian ancestry and celebrate their many accomplishments. And as we learn, may we grow in grace, love and unity in Christ.
