Collective breath
Today, March 15, 2022, marks one year since the Atlanta spa shooting when eight people died, six of whom were Asian women. We will pause and remember these sisters, daughters, mothers, friends, beloved children of God.
As anti-Asian hate has continued to rise, we have held and cared for each other. We have called, prayed, wrote, walked, fed, created, and protested together. We loved and protected each other.
As we commemorate today in various ways, we invite our community to breathe. Expand your lungs. Open up your shoulders. Set your feet on the ground. Stand tall. Inhale and exhale. And as you breathe, as we breathe together, may the songs and stories we hold be released.
숨/frankincense
song and painting by @chabitna__official
숨, 숨
나 숨 쉬네 들였다 내쉬네
너 숨 쉬네 들였다 내쉬네
숨, 숨
눈물 흘릴 때 노란 꽃 피우네
눈물 흘릴 때 노란 꽃 피우네
그때 퍼지네 향기가 그윽히
그때 퍼지네 향기가 그윽히
숨, 숨 우리 숨 쉬네 들였다
내쉬네 우리 숨 쉬네 들였다 내쉬네
I breathe, inhaling exhaling
You breathe, inhaling, exhaling.
breath, breath
When tears fall, yellow flowers sprout
when tears fall, yellow flowers sprout
in that moment, fragrance blooms
in that moment, fragrance blooms
breath breath
we breathe inhaling exhaling.
we breathe inhaling exhaling
(English translation by Peace Lee)
Open Spotify Here
Sidewalk Stories by Sue Park-Hur
Excerpt from MC USA's Menno Snapshots where Sue recounts a racist encounter while walking on the sidewalk:
"On my five-block walk back home, I now felt vulnerable, angry and unsafe, realizing that as an Asian American woman, I need to have my guard up even in my own diverse neighborhood. I was again faced with the reality that there is still an assumption that I don’t belong 'here' no matter how long I’ve lived here in this neighborhood or in this country. There is an expectation that I will make myself invisible and get out of the way. When I dare to claim part of my place in shared public spaces, there is rage."
(read the full story here).