During the Covid-19 pandemic that began in the US in 2020, there was a surge of violence against Asian Americans and people of Asian ethnicity living in the United States, in the form of verbal, physical, and economic attacks, and civil rights violations. Political and social rhetoric and polarization played roles in these increased incidents, but what role did theological or spiritual beliefs play in shaping or supporting anti-Asian violence?

This workshop examines the ways in which theology has been a part of the systemic marginalization that Asian Americans experience, including supporting campaigns of US imperialism and militarism that take place in Asia and in communities in the United States, but also help give power to intersectional movements for justice that fight anti-Asian violence.

Rev. Dr. B. Yuki Schwartz is an associate professor of constructive and political theologies and a Louisville Institute Postdoctoral Scholar, 2020-22, at Claremont School of Theology at Willamette University, and an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. Her research explores the connections between Christian theologies, systemic oppressions, and justice movements related to Asian and Asian American histories, politics, and culture.