A few days ago, the Asian American Language Ministry Plan with the General Board of Global Ministries and the National Federation of Asian American United Methodists issued a statement jointly condemning the rise of anti-Asian American violence in the United States of America.

Los Angeles Area Resident Bishop Grant J. Hagiya is a signatory to the letter along with several clergypersons of the California-Pacific Conference.

Given the incident which took place in the Atlanta area yesterday, Rev. John Oda, who directs the Asian American Language Ministry Plan, adds, “This ongoing, rising violence and hatred which sadly includes the recent murders in Atlanta of eight Asian American women – this violence is not just an Asian American concern.  This is not an African American concern, a Hispanic/Latino concern, a Native American concern or a Pacific Islander concern.  This increase in violence, these shootings in Atlanta are a concern for ALL Christians; for anyone who is striving to live out the tenets of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  They are a concern for all of us are seeking to fulfill His commandment to love one another.  The United Methodist Church has a moral obligation to be vocally and visibly outraged at these recent murders in Atlanta and this precipitous rise in violence and hatred against the Asian American community.

Read the statement via the button below…