Holding joy and grief
Flowers left in memory of the seven people who died in a mass shooting in the Half Moon Bay area on Jan. 24, 2023. Photo by Leah Worthington.
Questions
How do we hold joy and grief? How do we welcome the Lunar New Year when the celebration has been halted by two mass shootings in Asian American communities, particularly the Chinese Americans communities in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay?
How do we talk about the specificity of a place like Monterey Park, seven miles away from where we live and where 65% of residents are of Asian descent? How can we talk about the violence that comes from outside and within our own communities? How does this tragedy fit within the larger conversation that we need to continue having about the unending cycle of gun violence in the United States?
And how do we begin to see ourselves and our elders who have long and complicated stories of war, displacement, racism, violence, and marginality, as well as hope, resilience, strength, and beauty? Where can our elders process and tell their stories to heal and hope with dignity? How can we create safer spaces to foster joy and belonging? Answers to these hard and complicated questions seem more urgent.
As we have been holding these complex questions, we were reminded of the question Jesus asked the invalid man at the pool of Bethseda. He asked, “Do you want to get well?” Do we want to get well? Do we want to get up and walk away from this cycle of systemic violence? How can we do this together with courage and compassion?
TAKE ACTION
As we continue to wrestle with these looming questions, there are tangible ways to recenter ourselves.
Check your body. If you can’t sleep, feel tightness on your chest, or are becoming increasingly more irritable, your body may be telling you that you are grieving. Practice releasing bodily grief through capacitar exercises.
Check in with each other, and if possible, gather to eat or walk together. As Resmaa Menakem said, “collective trauma requires collective healing.” We need each other to heal.
Support Asian American small businesses near you as many have been impacted by Anti-Asian discrimination during the pandemic. A recent study found that the pandemic cost Asian restaurants in the U.S. about $7.4 billion in lost revenue in 2020 alone. Support Monterey Park, or Half Moon Bay businesses.
Seek outside support. The Asian Mental Health Collective has a directory of therapists and support groups offering support for the AAPI community.
PRAY
We remember those who lost their lives in the Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay mass shootings. Let’s continue to pray for the grieving family members and friends as they honor the lives of their loved ones.
Monterey Park
My Nhan, 65
Lilan Li, 63
Xiujuan Yu, 57
Muoi Ung, 67
Hong Jian, 62
Yu Kao, 72
Chia Yau, 76
Valentino Alvero, 68
Wen Yu, 64
Ming Ma, 72
Diana Tom, 70
Half Moon Bay
Yetao Bing, 43
Qizhong Cheng, 66
Marciano Martinez Jimenez, 50
Zhishen Liu, 73
Jingzhi Lu, 64
Aixiang Zhang, 74