“Dear ITS Community,
Like many of you, I have been utterly shocked and angered by the killing of eight people, including six women of Asian descent in Atlanta, Georgia. The horrific tragedy took place against the backdrop of increasing anti-Asian violence in the US. According to data, the number of anti-Asian American hate crimes in the major cities of the US has increased by 150 percent since the start of the pandemic. More shockingly, 70 percent of attacks are against women, according to STOP AAPI Hate, which tracks incidents of hate and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the US. This is an alarming trend that should concern all of us. Anti-Asian racism is not new in this country, but we are seeing more incidents of hatred with the emergence of COVID-19. In this hard and difficult season for everyone, we must resist scapegoating and blaming Asians and Asian Americans for the pandemic. We need to stand against all forms of racism, sexism, and misogyny and condemn violence against the vulnerable in our society. If you have experienced an anti-Asian hate incident, please go to www.stopaapihate.org and let your voice be heard. The ITS community is also here to stand with you to support and pray for you. As a community of believers, let us seek a life of justice and peace in the city and the nation we live in and pray for healing and reconciliation. Let us exercise mutual love and care for one another in our ITS community.
和許多人一樣，我對八位在喬治亞州亞特蘭大被殺害的事件，包括六位亞裔婦女在內，感到震驚和憤怒。 這可怕的悲劇發生在美國反亞洲暴力事件不斷加劇的背景之下。 根據資料顯示，自疫情大流行以來，美國主流大城市中反亞裔仇恨犯罪的數量增加了150％。 更令人震驚的是，根STOP AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islanders)民權組織的調查，其中70％的襲擊是針對女性的。該組織追踪了針對美國亞裔美國人和太平洋島民的仇恨和歧視事件。 這是一個令人震驚的趨勢，值得我們所有人的關注。 反亞洲種族主義在這個國家並不新鮮，但是隨著COVID-19 浮出台面，我們看到了更多的仇恨事件。 在每個人都面臨艱難的考驗之下，我們必須抵制一味指責亞洲人和亞裔美國人造成冠狀病毒大流行的指控。我們必需反對各種形式的種族主義，性別歧視和厭女症，並譴責對我們社會中所有弱勢群體的暴力行為。 如果您遇過反亞洲仇恨事件，請上以下網址 www.stopaapihate.org，讓您的聲音被聽到。本國際神學院全體也在這裡與您站在一起，支持並為您禱告。因著我們是信仰相同的群體，讓我們在我們所生活的城市和國家中尋求正義與和平的生活，並為其得到醫治與和解禱告！讓我們國際神學院全體師生實際操練愛心、彼此關心!”
Thank you and grace and peace,
James S. Lee
President